X Days -Marked-
by Hyoxjnn
Summary: Only a few months have passed since the Composer decided to spare Shibuya, but a new threat has already arisen; a group of ex-Reapers aiming to Erase the Composer and make the UnderGround their own. New and old characters fight to stop the organization known as CHECKMATE, but is it possible that the city is already Marked for death...? [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]
1. Prologue

**(You know, this was posted, assuming that it's the 21****st**** of December for the **_**SOSS**_** members in Murica… But now, I'm not so sure that it is.  
I should know if it is, or not, by now. Really.)**

* * *

**I apologize to anyone and everyone; I thought that after high-school, life would get slightly less busy, buuut apparently that's not the case XD**

**Also, my earlier comment of 'writing professionally' is inert; Fanfiction has decided to disallow indents and such X'D**

**Anyway, this is my first entry in the aforementioned **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**, or **_**SOSS**_**, if you prefer :P  
I hope you enjoy it, but whether you do or not, you should definitely check out the other entries at the Shibuya Operation - Story Storm Community; they are most likely more intelligible than mine.**

**Happy reading!**

**Note: I planned to write this **_**after**_** a certain point in **_**X Days**_**, so I **_**recommend**_**, (key word. 'Recommend'.) That you read up to **_**Chapter VII – Third Time's the Charm**_**, (which is up, right now,) before reading this.**

**Oh, you- you don't want to…?**  
**Mngh… Iduncare… Iduncareabit…**

***Cries***

* * *

**Prologue**

**Player Side**

Rain.  
What does rain mean to you?  
Mere droves of water, cleaning the slate for the future? Or a gloomy affair, that dampens your spirits, as well as your clothes? Slightly more unassuming: A simple hail of Dihydrogen Monoxide, perhaps?  
For me… Rain was the beginning of the end. A prophesy, foretelling the calamity to come. It was raining when I died.  
I didn't realize what it meant, however… Before it was too late. That's why I carried the Sigil on my back. The Mark.

I am the reason that Shibuya fell to ruin.

I would introduce myself, but unfortunately… I don't know my real name. For now… You may call me 'Katy'. It's what I've always gone by, regardless of how 'real' it is.

I am Katy… And this is the story of how I killed the Composer.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"He's here… Finally." A young Reaper, Persian, ran a hand through his hair, as he watched the hooded man climb the stairs.

_Isshin Genkata __– __The Rook._

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"I have to say, this 'plan' of yours seems rather far-fetched… But I'll follow you to the end, 'Boss'." An androgynous male with platinum blond hair smirked, and crossed his arms.

_J*** S******* __–__ The Knight._

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"Don't' waste your energy chattering…" A nearby woman, her form obscured by shadow, spoke in a low voice. "Try taking this a bit more seriously, for a change."

_N***** N******* __–__ The Bishop._

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"Sir, are you sure you're fully rested…?" A different woman, dressed in a white kimono and red hakama, addressed the man climbing the stairs. "There is always the next Game…"

_J****** X***** __–__ The Queen._

After what seemed an eternity, the hooded man reached the top of the stairs; at it, laid an ornate, white marble throne. Taking his place, the man removed his hood, and spoke to his companions.

"My comrades… I realize that we have prepared ourselves for this day… But with our goal so close to being within our grasp, even as I feel the first tremors of excitement, I must remind you all, to exercise constant vigilance." Swishing a pitch-black Pin through the air, the man produced an intricately-carved chess-set, made of a similar, marble substance. "We have five targets." He moved his hands, placing white chess Pieces in a cross formation, on the board. "Rook: Daisukenjo Bito. Knight: Shiki Misaki. Bishop: Raimu Bito. Queen: Yoshiya Kiryu. King…" He paused. "I fear we face a considerable adversary here, my friends. Someone has been watching us. He knows that we are coming." In a moment of sombreness, the man stood. In his hand, he held up the White King Piece. "The Fallen Angel, Sanae Hanekoma, takes priority, being their King… However…" He laid the Piece in the centre of the board, so that it was surrounded by all of the others. "There is one more, that I consider a threat…" The man's hand slowly went to his cloak, and drew out a second White Queen. "The once, and future, Proxy. Neku Sakuraba."

_Goumaki Mushin __–__ The King._

Mushin raised his head, and threw his fellow Reapers a smirk.

"Not to worry…" He drew out a Black King Piece, as the others held up their own Pieces, in recognition. "Even without a Promotion on our side, it's still _far_ too early…" Suddenly, Mushin ferociously slammed his Black King Piece onto the White King, knocking it over. "… For a Checkmate."

* * *

**Okay. So.  
It's short. Yes.  
Also, I've blanked out some names.  
Because they haven't been introduced, yet.**

**Not sure if I'll change that...Anyway, if you could tell me what you thought, I'd really appreciate it if you left a quick Review, (it only takes a moment,) despite me, personally, having several Reviews to follow up on, which I have neglected to do, because my Internet's down, and life, and… Ugghhh...**

**Anyway, again, definitely check out the other entries in **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**, it's a follow up, (of sorts,) to **_**The Twelve Shots of Summer**_**, which was hosted by the vastly more competent Chronic Guardian. We're going to be posting a chapter per week, aaand… It's all going to go smoothly, I hope XD**

**I'll see you later, or something!  
-X**


	2. 1st Day

**Okay, so, this is my second entry in the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** event, which is a follow-up of sorts to Chronic Guardian's **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_**.  
There are forums and communities for each of these; I, along with a handful of others, will be uploading a chapter per week for as many as three different stories. You should really check the other works out. Like maybe now.  
Now would be good :D**

* * *

**Chapter II**

The Scramble Crossing.  
A nexus that links all of Shibuya together; from the Scramble Crossing, one may travel in any direction, and arrive at any district of the city that they choose.  
This day, however, was different; to a certain assembly of people, those choices, their freedom of movement, was much more… Restricted.

* * *

_**1st Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

The sounds were the first thing I noticed when my mind had reclaimed consciousness.  
Streetlights turning green.  
Steps. People walking.  
Music. People talking.  
And then I opened my eyes.

_Where… Am I…?_ Was my initial thought. I appeared to be lying on the ground, but the sight of people walking all around me made me realize that I had to be in some public area. Why then, was I on the ground?  
I tried moving my extremities. They all twitched.  
That's a good sign.  
My arms were in working order as well. Taking a moment to gather myself, I pushed myself up, onto my knees. Only now, I realized that I had been lying in the middle of a road.  
_ Not just _any_ road…_ I recognized, after I had gotten to my feet. I had been lying in the centre of Shibuya's Scramble Crossing. _This is how Alice must have felt…_ At that moment, I had apparently made some (involuntary) witty comment on the situation. I suppose that means that I must have collected myself at that point.  
… Relatively speaking.

_Clink_

A small, metallic sound caught my ear, bringing me out of my dazed state. Looking down, I soon found its source: A small Pin was lying on the ground. _Did I drop that?_ I briefly considered the possibility. _No… Did I even have that…?_ Asking myself all kinds of questions, I bent down with the intention of removing the Pin from the ground with my left hand… My fingers brushed against the gravel, and…

The world blinked.

{Oh, no… I'm not even close to reaching my goal of making 100 people happy! At this rate, Shibuya will become full of sad people…}

{Ugh, why is my throat still killing me? Karaoke? I'm still doing eight-hour sessions, but I started bringing a friend to split the time! Shouldn't that help?}

{Dr. Fumiko smiled when she spoke to me! I think she's got the hots for me. I'm totally gonna ask her to dinner.}

"Ah…!" I let out a small, shocked cry, as an army of voices invaded the stronghold of my mind; An unbelievably diverse mass of opinions, thoughts, declarations, and creeds forced their way into my head, deeper and clearer than I had thought physically possible. On instinct, I flinched, quickly withdrawing my hand from the Pin.

The voices stopped.

I was back. My mind was once again my own; no more of Shibuya's strangers would be entering uninvited.  
However… _What was that…?!_ 'How had it happened? It was almost as if… _Was I hearing people's thoughts?_ I stared at the circle of metal on the ground; emblazoned upon it was a unique, white rendering of what I assumed to be a human's skull, laid over a pitch-black background. I felt as if the Pin was responsible; that if I so willed it, I could reopen the floodgates, allowing the surrounding torrents to surge back in.  
I had to know. I reached out, more carefully this time, wishing with all my heart that the voices wouldn't return too quickly. _Three … Two… One…!_ My skin made contact with the Pin; its surface was cold; unnaturally cold; as if someone had only recently brought it out from an icebox. _… Nothing._ While focusing on the Pin's temperature, I realized that the voices were not returning.  
The gates had remained locked.  
I briefly considered the situation, but decided to take the Pin. Having no pockets to place it in, (and not wanting to place any holes in my garments,) I simply held it tightly in my fist. It was at this point that I realized I carried a very specific sentiment: 'I don't want any holes in my garments', immediately after which, I took in my own appearance for the first time.  
Looking myself over, I was wearing a skin-tight black tank top underneath a handmade, white cardigan with intricate patterns woven around the fabric; I could feel that I was also wearing similarly tight shorts, ("perhaps biker shorts," I recall thinking to myself at the time,) over which I had a light lavender-coloured wrap skirt. Around my right wrist were two thin, silver bangles. Finally, I saw that my feet were wearing a pair of soft boots, made of what appeared to be chocolate-coloured leather.  
At this point, I felt a small, childish sense of panic grip my chest. _How… _old_ am I?!_ Certainly, I felt that I should be 17 years-old, but I was dressed like a… Well. A much older woman.  
In any case, I ran over to the nearest building, and used their window as a mirror; staring back at me was a face that was only half-familiar: A soft, petite face with delicate, even fragile, facial features; my little nose looked like it could be broken with the flick of a finger, and my similarly small ears were barely visible; the very top of my left ear could be seen sticking out of my short, auburn hair, and my right ear was only fully visible because the right side of hair was pulled back behind my ear, save for one strand, which hung stubbornly near my right eye, only slightly kept up by a silver hairclip decorated by carvings. My face seemed that it should belong to me, but at the same time, it felt somewhat alien… Like a celebrity lookalike trying to pose as the real thing… Like a face made of familiar and unfamiliar parts.  
The _most_ unfamiliar part, however, was my eyes. _Violet…_ I gasped internally, as I stared into them. Were they really _my_ eyes? Surely not… Right?  
The pair of eyes staring back at me filled me with dread… Some unspeakable feeling, that hailed disaster. _How many people,_ I thought, _do, in fact, have violet eyes…? Nobody I know…_

And that's when it hit me.

Thinking about it, trying to find someone who I knew with violet eyes… I realized that there was no-one. Not that there was no-one that I knew with _violet eyes_… There was _no-one I knew._  
My heart rate began to increase, and my hands pressed against the window, as if trying to touch my reflection; hoping to affirm that I was real, that I was here…

And then the second revelation came.

My face, which gave me a feeling of familiarity and unfamiliarity, and my eyes, which I only had a vague sense of affiliation with… I found that I knew absolutely nothing about either. I knew nothing about anything. I didn't have a single memory from before I awoke. I… _Who… Am I?_ Sinking to my knees, the girl in the window followed my lead, her face contorted in horror, her breathing increasing in volume and frequency, until it reached a fever pitch…  
I started to scream, and everything went black.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

{Kyo's boarding at the park the other day was supremely awesome. That sweet 360 he pulled off? Hot! Wish I could get air like that…}

{At the singles party yesterday, some girl was like, "Hey, you remind me of Mt. Fuji!" Is that supposed to be a compliment?}

{I can't get her out of my mind… How am I supposed to concentrate on work when I've got it this bad? Oh! Maybe it'd be easier if I just broke up with her!}

"Tch…" A young man in front of the Statue of Hachiko finished Scanning the area, and shook his head in irritation. _I heard a scream… There's no-one around here in distress…_ The young man had scraggly black hair, slightly long for a boy, while his face showed minor stubble that was beginning to grow; clothing-wise, he wore a black hoodie, (hood down,) jeans, and sneakers, (somewhat reminiscent of a certain cheery free-runner.)  
At this point, the man determined that the person who had just screamed was either dead, (seeing as he couldn't Scan them), out-of-range, (an option that he noted simply for the sake of doing so,) or an un-Scannable Player, like him.  
He was hoping for the third option.  
Wasting no more time, the young man sprinted off towards the Scramble Crossing.

Unbeknownst to the young man, the Game Master was watching him from above; laughing quietly to himself, the Game Master let out a quiet whisper, "yes… I do believe we have our candidate…"

* * *

**Player Side**

_"… Music…?"_ I vaguely recall walking through a dark, moist tunnel; the walls were lined with graffiti, their colour stood out amongst the darkness.

_"Ca-… -ing… -ou hear t-… -ling…"_ My ears barely picked up words in the distance; a haunting female voice was singing.

_"… Who are you?"_

_"Calling… Some-… -s calling…"_

_"What are… I can't hear you…"_  
The voice stopped.

_"'Katy'… That's you… Tha-… -r name."_ Before I could move, the voice's owner, a hooded figure in white, flew towards me.

_"… The world's on your shoulders."_

* * *

After I had passed out, (rather embarrassingly,) I was rudely awakened from a strange dream by a shaking sensation. When I opened my eyes, it was immediately apparent to me that I had moved from the spot by the window; more accurately, I was now _moving_. "Hey- Let go of me…!" I cried. I was in the arms of someone: A black-haired man in a black hoodie; he appeared to be running, and as such, every step he took was transmitted to me as an unpleasant, jolting sensation.

"You're awake…!" He gasped, quickly setting me upright; my legs wobbled as I regained my balance. Before I could question him, he unceremoniously grabbed my hand, (ignoring my protests,) and spoke rapidly. "Form a Pact with me!" I fell silent and stopped struggling for about a second, taking in what he said.

"… What?!" I hadn't the faintest idea about what he had meant, so I simply resumed my attempts to free my hand.

"Please!" He pointed behind us. "To stop the Noise!"

Confused as I was, this time I didn't stop pulling, though I _did_ look in the direction he was pointing, if only out of instinctual curiosity. "… What in the…" This time, I stopped; what greeted my eyes was a swarm of red and black rushing towards us, moving so fast and packed so tightly that I couldn't make out anything other than colours. If anything, it was akin to static on a television…

"You have to hurry!" He pleaded. "Those creatures are the Noise! If you don't agree to Pact, then we'll…" He trailed off.

I didn't like the idea of following the orders of someone that I had just met, but I also didn't like the idea of being assailed by what, if this person was to be believed, was apparently a horde of some kind of monsters. "… Alright, I accept!" I relented, gripping his hand back.  
Suddenly, I was blinded by a flash of light, before the man spoke again.

"Great! Follow me, the Mission's at 104!" He started to run, again pulling at me. The monsters called 'Noise' hadn't disappeared, but appeared to have slowed down enough to outrun.

So I followed him.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"We're Partners!" The male Player yelled as he reached the outskirts of Scramble Crossing. With his hand, he was firmly keeping a hold on a young lady's wrist and pulling her along, much to her chagrin.

"You…!" His companion's face flushed as she attempted to keep her composure, but hearing the man publically announce he and her being 'Partners' was a new level of audacity for her. "Listen here-" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing that he had only been addressing one person: A nearby figure in a red hoodie, with a shoulder bag.

"…" The Red Hood watched the two of them momentarily, before grunting, "Pact confirmed." The air ahead of the two seemed to shimmer and shine for an instant, before settling back to being invisible.

"What was-"

"Later! Just keep running!" The man cut her off.

Behind them, in the centre of the Scramble, stood an androgynous-looking, platinum-blonde haired man, who appeared to be in his early twenties. Flipping his hair with his hand, the boy better-uncovered his left eye, though his right eye remained completely obscured in a typical 'emo' fashion. A vicious grin formed on his face, and his only visible eye's crimson iris glinted with malice; pulling out a phone, the boy dialled a number, waited two rings, and said four words. "Knight here. They've Pacted."

* * *

_**1st Day – The Opening Gambit**_

* * *

**First off, it occurs to me that the next **_**SOSS**_** post will take place after New Year's Day. So, 'Early Happy New Year', everyone~!**

**Second, it may have escaped your notice that Katy only narrates the Player Sides, not the Reaper Sides.  
So… I am now pointing out that Katy only narrates the Player Sides, not the Reaper Sides.  
… Yeah.**

**Anyway! I was planning on continuing 'till 104, but I felt like this was perhaps maybe a better ending.  
Also New Year's stuff.  
Ehhh…**

**Before I sign off, I again implore you, nay, **_**beg**_** you to look at the other **_**SOSS**_** entries. Seriously. They're good.  
You can view them at the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community :D**

**Buh-bye,  
-X**


	3. 2nd Day

**Week 3 of the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** challenge!  
By now, most of the participants are probably settling in; things are getting heated…!  
… Maybe.**

**For those of you who don't know, **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** is an event that I'm hosting, in which the members work on a certain number of short stories, posting chapters over a 13 Week period… It's fun.  
Very cool.  
Meteoric.**

**I highly recommend having a squiz at the other works on the SOSS community, buuut… Only if… You want to, I suppose…  
…**

**IZ CHAPTER 3.**

* * *

**Chapter III**

Chess is an interesting thing…  
An ancient game, existing in many different forms and fashions,from the Indian 'Chaturaṅga' to the Chinese 'Xiangqi', and even Japan's own variant: 'Shogi'… It wasn't difficult to compare chess to a military war; chess is a battle, a cunning, strategic war of wits between two minds, each seeking to overcome the other.  
But here, where two chess-masters locked horns; Shibuya itself at stake…  
… Who was it, really… That acquired the Checkmate?

* * *

_**2nd Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

I was losing my patience.  
Though I attempt to conduct myself in an orderly fashion at all times, I had found it difficult to compose myself after this young man, a complete stranger, had yet failed to produce a single satisfactory reason for dragging me about as you would a sack of potatoes, (a rather egregious example; I believe more care would, in fact, be taken with the transport of potatoes.) Yes, the situation was… Urgent, (though it was also wildly unrealistic, confusing, and essentially caused one to question whether or not they were conscious,) _but_, staggered as I was, I was perfectly capable of walking on my own two feet.  
I had, of course, attempted to convey this to my enigmatic friend as he led me to 104, with little luck.

"Okay…!" He let out a long breath, at last releasing me from his grip. "Timer's going! We made it." He commented, gazing at his right palm as he did so.

"Timer…!?" For the perhaps-fifth time of the day, I felt a sense of alarm rise within in me; something appeared to be suspended above the young man's hand, but even as I stared at it, it seemed to be quickly fading away into nothingness. Driven by instinct, I brought my own right hand up to my view…  
Nothing.  
I drew my own gaze back to my companion's hand, but whatever had been fading, had now faded; his hand was as plain as anyone's could be.

"Did you miss it?" He asked, baffling me further. "Maybe it disappeared before you looked…?" He stroked his stubbled chin, making a large show of his being in thought. "Come to think of it, since you're left-handed, maybe the Timer was applied to your dominant hand…" As he scratched his head, with a relatively relaxed expression on his face, I turned my left hand over.

Of course, it was too late to verify his 'theory', but there was a more important question at hand. "… What do you mean 'Timer'?" I watched him steadily, my body trembling. "No, before that… Who _are_ you? I wake up with you… Carrying me, fleeing from some kind of monsters, after which you request that I 'Pact' with you; a request with which I complied, only to have you parade me around to the 104 Building, making a show of us being 'Partners'…!" I finally stopped, though more out of a need for Oxygen, than anything. Believe me, I had _plenty_ more to say, but my perplexing partner then saw it fit to take advantage of my momentary pause.

"Right. You're right…" He held up his hands, as if to show he meant no harm, (and, if I wasn't mistaken, looking a little frightened of me.) "My apologies, I've completely forgotten my manners." (At this point I was feeling a slight pang of guilt for venting all of my frustration onto him… But only a slight one.) "Please, ask me anything you wish; I'll see if I can't help you out… After all, we _are_ Partners now." He finished with a smile.

Resisting the urge to question him about us being 'Partners', I decided that I should know who I was speaking with, first. "Okay…" I took a few breaths to calm myself, with moderate success. "First of all… If you don't mind," I added, regaining my composure, "who… Are you?"

"What, me?" He laughed, pulling his hood down, revealing more of his tangled, jet-black hair. "Of course. Let's see…" He crossed his arms and closed his dark eyes for several seconds. "Well, the name's Magokoro Muki." He quickly typed up some characters on his phone, and showed me:

**Magokoro Muki  
(****無気****真心****)**

"Born April the 1st, my blood type is A. I'm a Gemini, and one hip DJ, miss." He returned his phone to his pocket, with an uncomfortably friendly, optimistic grin. Apparently Mr. Muki had used those seconds of silence to put together a personal advertisement.

"… I see." I acknowledged; satisfied that I had, at the very least, his name, (among several other relatively useless pieces of personal information.)

"I also like to gamble. My favourite word: 'Stratagem'. Ramen gets my tummy rumbling." … It appeared that Muki had not finished.

"Thank you, but that's-" I started; content with what he had already told me.

"As for my physical dimensions-"

"Stop. Please." I held up a hand in protest, tilting my head down in a bid to conceal the growing flush on my cheeks; I feared that if he went any further, what little purity we had established in our short association would be forever lost.

Mercifully, Muki relented, an amused smile forming on his face. "Well, I've done my part, in any case… So," He gestured to me, "may I ask _your_ name?"

I hesitated. Normally I would provide my given name, at the very least, but by this time, I was already fully aware and acceptant of the fact that I had apparently suffered some form of retrograde amnesia. However, I was somewhat uncomfortable with discussing said topic at that moment, so I gave him the only name other I knew. "… Katy." I said, finally. "You can call me Katy."

"'Katy', hm?" He considered me for a moment, and then smiled warmly. "That's a nice name."

That was the last thing I heard him say.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"They've made a Pact? You're certain?" The Queen stared into the Knight's single, unblinking eye; like an interrogator would a prisoner of war.  
"I'm _absolutely_ sure, my dear." The Knight chuckled, holding his hands up in mock-surrender. "Would I really make a mistake in judging such a simple thing?"  
The Queen did not answer, either out of a lack of care, or a lack of want to highlight the obvious. "Rook." She addressed the young Persian Reaper standing on the edge of Pork City's rooftop. "You're making your move on Day 3. Be ready."  
"Pfff…" The Rook sighed, staring off into the horizon; his mind was plainly elsewhere.  
"_Rook._" The Queen repeated, with more force.  
"… Don't worry, I got it." He acknowledged with a wave of his hand; making it clear enough that his manner did not reflect upon his competence.  
"The Bishop is laying all of the preparations," a new voice entered the area; the others turned to see the King walking towards them, smirking. "In a matter of 4 Days, the entirety of Shibuya should be ensnared in her 'territory'. And as for _Her…_" He gestured to the 104 Building, where the Players of the Reapers' Game were now sleeping. "… It would seem that she remembers absolutely _nothing_ of her life. That, we can be grateful for." He spread his arms wide, "We, CHECKMATE, are now that much closer to overthrowing the Composer…!"

* * *

**Player Side**

"_Oh… You're back."_ I _was_ back… At least, as far as I remember.

_"… I can hear you, now."  
_

_"Of course you can."_ The voice stated.

_"Where is this?"_ My voice came out as a low whisper; the very air seemed to strangle me when I tried to talk.

_"… The River. You're at the edge, teetering at the precipice…"_ That same, ghostly female voice echoed through the tunnel. _"… But you haven't quite fallen yet… Not as I have."  
_

_"… And what do… You mean by that?"  
_

_"It means…"_ She paused, sounding unsure for the first time.

_"… What?"_ I pressed, feeling an urge to know.

At that moment, I noticed a figure in the distance, slowly approaching; the same hooded person from earlier. Their features were almost indiscernible, their form hidden by a hooded cloak, pure white; immaculate, save for the tattered ends, which gave the appearance of some sort of white Grim Reaper. _"I'm tired, Katy… So tired…" _Despite the words and manner of the White Hood, I remember finding myself overcome with some kind of primal fear… This person, if they were a person, was no mere stranger, this person was someone far above me, someone that I should by no means engage… _"I've lived far longer than you can imagine… But it's…" She stopped again.  
_

_"… It's what…?"_ I choked out, despite my mind screaming at me to run as far away from this hooded figure as quickly as possible.

_"… It's too much."_

* * *

Magokoro Muki awoke with a stir.  
More accurately, with a foot.  
My foot.

Having previously awoken before him, I decided to wait a few minutes, before exploring the area for a while. We were back at Scramble Crossing; perhaps someone had dragged us here while we slept.

But for that matter… Why had we fallen asleep in the first place?

_So many questions…_ Initially, I had planned to stay by Muki's side until he, too, had awoken… But after a short amount of time, I realized that the people constantly walking past us couldn't merely be ignoring us… I performed a quick experiment, and discovered that we were invisible; not only that, we were also, apparently, incorporeal: When I finally chose to walk around, it was after Muki had been 'run over' by a vehicle for the third time.  
I first attempted to walk back to 104, hoping to see the Red Hood again; he was the only other person I knew, (literally,) and he could potentially explain what in the world was happening to me.  
I was abruptly met with a crushing blow to my nose from an invisible wall.  
As I recalled, during the day prior, Muki had told the Red Hood that we were 'Partners', at which point, the air ahead of us had shifted, and 'faded' away, like some sort of mirage.  
_Perhaps it wasn't air, but… Glass…?_ Absurd, of course, I only raised the possibility to myself for the sake of finishing my thought; it was ludicrous that a giant glass wall, one capable of materializing and de-materializing on command, could be blocking the way to the 104 Building… Then again, I had come to terms with some rather unbelievable things yesterday… Maybe invisible walls weren't such a stretch. Recovering from my shock, I held my aching face, and swiftly scanned the area with my eyes; no-one appeared to be looking at me… I truly was 'dead to the world'.  
I would later come to appreciate just how fitting that statement was… But back to Muki.

"Nngh… What…?" The young man rolled onto his back, woken by the prodding of my boot into his side.  
"You've been asleep for at least ten minutes," I informed him, my irritation likely showing on my face, "Perhaps we should get moving, now?"

"… 'f course." He mumbled, clearly not wanting to leave the comfort of the ground.

I waited patiently for him to stand, and then immediately asked him, "Why were we asleep? Why can't people see or touch us? Why are there invisible… _Walls_ all over the place-"

"Walls, huh?" He seemed to take it in stride. "How many, and where?" He replied with his own questions, in a rather serious maner.

"… Well, there are five in total, I believe…" I told myself that if I wanted him to communicate with me, I would have to be willing to communicate with him. "We're blocked off from the 104 Building, The Statue of Hachiko, _leaving_ Shibuya, in general," I emphasized that particular barrier, pointing at the southern road, "the Shibu Department Store, and Centre-"

"So essentially, we're trapped in the Scramble Crossing." He finished for me. Not in a rude manner, but in an irksome one, nonetheless.

"… Yes, that would be correct." I held myself back from making any kind of biting retort.

"Has the Mission come yet…?" He asked, half-rhetorically, bringing his phone out as he did so.

"… What 'Mission'-"

_Beep, beep_

"Ah, speak of the devil…!" He grinned as his phone buzzed in his hand.

"Look here-" My patience had just about run out, when I realized. "… My phone's… Going off, as well...?" I spoke slowly, growing more and more confused by the second.

"Well, yeah," Muki said, matter-of-factly, "is that a problem?"

"I… Don't have any pockets for my phone…" I patted my hips, where I had felt the phone vibrate, but of course, my skirt still had no pockets. "… Also, I don't own a phone." I realized.

"Really?" My beguilingly self-satisfied acquaintance smiled "What's _that_, then?" he pointed around me with his finger, indicating a space behind me.

"What's…" I moved my hand to my lower back, and found myself grasping something made of cloth. Looking around, it appeared as though I was wearing some kind of pouch around my waist. _How long has that been there…?_ Craning my neck back, I could see that inside the half-unzipped pouch was a sleek smartphone with a violet casing.

Just like my eyes.

* * *

**[Bout II: Face the Noise for 5 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

"Face the 'Noise'?" No sooner had I read the message on my phone than I felt a stabbing sensation in my hand. "_Ahhh…!_" I couldn't help but cry out in pain as a red-hot spike of agony was driven through my flesh. My phone dropped to the ground, landing with a clean 'clacking' noise.

"_Mmnngh…!_" Muki ground his teeth; apparently he had received a similar feeling. "Hah… That still stings…"

"_What_ just-" I was cut off yet again, but this time by something entirely different… I had spotted what I earlier only caught a glimpse of on Muki's palm.

_4:59…  
4:58…  
4:57…_

Floating above my left hand, which had been holding the phone, were a series of bloody red digits, counting down just as a kitchen timer would. "What… Is that the Timer?" I stared at it in disbelief; shaking my arm up and down proved ineffective at removing the numbers.

"Yeah, for the Mission!" Muki exclaimed in his usual 'what-else' fashion. "… You really don't know?" He looked me over.

"_No_, I don't." I stressed.

"We have to complete the Mission before the Timer runs out, or we'll both be Erased!" Muki flailed his arms around, presumably in an effort to drive the urgency of the situation home. "Or… I suppose in this case, it's '_until_ the Timer' runs out… That's different."

"Right you are!" A rhythmic, swaying male voice called out."

"Who's there?!" Muki immediately bounded towards me, and pivoted 180 degrees in one step, now standing between me and the new arrival; a bespectacled man who was walking towards us at a leisurely pace.

"Relaaax, kids…" The man was tall… Wearing a pair of blue-grey denim jeans, (from which a decorative chain of stylized metallic crosses hung,) which complimented his simple, white shoes. "It's only the second Day, so let's take it easy while we still can, huh?" With a flick of his wrist, a small pack of 'Noise' emerged from the air around him; for the first time, I could see them clearly… _Skulls…?_  
The Noise were floating, two-dimensional, symbols, resembling a variety of animal skulls.

"You're a Reaper?" Muki held his ground, spreading his arms out, shielding me.

If he was trying to look chivalrous, it was only partially working.

"'sright," the man replied.

As I continued to look him over, I realized that on the man's back were a pair of black, metal-like wings, protruding from his black, sleeveless parka, which was adorned with the image of a white-ribcage. _What in the…_

The man ran a hand through his vivid, orange hair, closed his eyes and sighed; the type of sigh that a child sighs when asked to wash the dishes, "a'ight, there's a bowl of ramen riding on this, so I guess we'd better get started." His other hand rose up; now in view, I could see that he was holding a…

"… A lollipop?" I commented involuntarily.

"It's bean paste, actually." He chuckled, placing it in his mouth, and moving into a more battle-ready position, "okay, you've got about 4 minutes 30," he grinned, sending a chill of dread down my spine, "show me what you've got…!"

* * *

_**2nd Day: Part I – Blitzkrieg**_

* * *

**I keep wondering if I'm cutting off at the right segments, but… Kariya, man.  
No better way to end.**

**XD**

**So, that's three chapters down! That's basically 30%...!  
Wow… That's… Hm.**

**Again! If you like what you're reading, you should hop over to the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community, and indulge yourself in the other, more enjoyable works :D**

**Also maybe leave a review? A favourite?  
They keep me going X'3**

**-X**


	4. 2nd Day: Part II

**Oogh… Week 4.  
This isn't going well for me X'D  
(I'veonlyreviewedonce…Thestruggleisreal.)**

**Hello, everybody!  
This is my fourth entry to the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** event; the participants, (myself included,) are periodically updating a variety of stories over the course of 13 weeks… Kind of.  
It's complicated :P**

**Complicated as it **_**is**_**, however, I **_**do**_** insist that you type up '**_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**' in your little search bar, because there's a community jam-packed with many more stories! :D  
You will, no doubt, enjoy them :)**

* * *

**Chapter IV**

To attain victory in chess, one must target the king, as well as protect their own; for this reason, the king is labelled the 'most important Piece' on the board.  
Is that not strange?  
The strongest, most capable piece is most certainly the queen, which combines the strengths of the bishop, the rook, and technically, by extension, the king itself.  
The king is arguably the weakest piece in the game; even the lowly pawn, after much hardship, may be promoted to a queen… But the king will never improve itself. It will never grow in strength.  
The king, for all of its 'importance', will never learn to move more than a single square, one step, at a time… Like a lazy dictator, the idle king can only order its subjects, cower behind its rook, and flee from its enemy in fear…

Step…  
Step…  
Step…

* * *

_**2nd Day: Part II**_

* * *

**Player Side**

A flash of scarlet, and I found my world turned upside-down.  
Finding myself yet again struggling to keep conscious, I became vaguely aware that I was alone. The orange-haired 'Reaper', and my rather taxing excuse for a 'Partner' had vanished, along with every other human in sight. _That's… Not right…_  
I was alone in the Scramble Crossing.

And then, the Noise came…

* * *

**Reaper Side**

Koki Kariya chuckled to himself, observing Muki fight off the Dixiefrog Noise that Kariya had sent his way. "Hm…": He mused, attempting to gauge the strength of the fledgling Player. He seemed to grasp the concept of Psychs, though his Soul wasn't as impressive as Kariya had expected.  
Just as he finished that thought…

"_Shockwave!_"

_Kzzzt…!_

A solid strike sent the Dixiefrog Noise flying to the far side of the road, granting Muki a brief respite. As Kariya watched him catch his breath, a faint, green light caught Kariya's eye.

_Oh…!_ He grinned, as the light grew into a bright radiance, forming a glow around Muki's body. "You got a Puck up… Very nice!" Kariya complimented Muki.

"'Puck'…?" Muki repeated, only taking his eyes off of the Dixiefrog for a moment. "You mean… The Light Puck?"

"Bravo!" Kariya applauded. "The Light Puck, that's right… So if you'll excuse me…" Kariya released two extra Dixiefrog Noise, and prepared to shift Zones. "… I have to educate your Partner. I think she'll need my assistance a bit more than you…" With a casual wave of his hand, Kariya disappeared from a bewildered Muki's sight.

**Player Side**

Of all the strange occurrences that had transpired in the past few days, this had to be the strangest yet.  
Standing in an empty, ghost-town of Shibuya, I was being assaulted by… Frogs. Three large frogs, adorned with… What I could only describe as 'tattoos', lunged at me, relentlessly pursuing my every step; the foremost made contact with my boot, and I was unexpectedly struck by an extremely painful sensation; it was as if my lower leg had been plunged into a vat of acid "_Ahhh!_" I screamed in agony, and instinctively kicked the frog as far away as I could, my mind wracked with dread and panic, I could only keep running. Just then, when I caught myself thinking that nothing else could possibly happen…

_Bump_

"_Mmph…!_" I let out a lungful of air in surprise; not paying any heed to my front, I had run directly into… Him.

"Whoa there, girl," the orange-haired Reaper smirked, and I quickly took two steps away from him, fearful of any kind of harm that could come from him, "gotta calm down. You won't beat the Noise like _that_."

"You-" I had no idea what I was going to say, but that soon became irrelevant; fortunately, in the act of looking at the Reaper's face, I miraculously caught a glimpse of an attacking 'Noise' in the reflection of his spectacles. "_Ngh!_" I wasted no time in throwing my body to the right; somehow, I found myself performing a relatively graceful handspring, keeping my balance on point, and evading the frog Noise by a fair margin.

_Kzzzt…!_

Looking back from my manoeuver, I saw that the frog Noise had been obliterated by the orange-haired Reaper… Rather easily, in fact; with nearly as much effort as you or I would exert to swat a fly.  
Slightly distressing, for me.

"Whoa…!" The man's eyes widened behind the tinted lenses of his glasses. "You almost got _me_ with my own Noise, there!… That's gotta be some kind of… Record…" The man muttered to himself, rather unperturbed by the events unfolding around him; while I found the tribulation to be a matter of life-and-death, it seemed that my ordeal was markedly more trivial for him, than it was for me. Before any other moves could be made, I was caught off-guard by yet another unexpected turn: A shining, emerald sphere of light rippled into existence, blinding me like the sun would; I had no time to react, a mere split-second after materializing, the light flew towards me, coating me in its grand incandescence… The world seemed to shift and shimmer like a mirage. Through my ears, I heard a melodic sound like that from a cluster of wind chimes; my eyes glimpsed a hazy vision, a translucent image of Muki, fighting off his own batch of Noise, and I could… Feel what _he_ felt; I could feel Muki's anxiety, his determination, and his worrying for himself, as well as for me.  
It was as though… Our minds were somehow synchronized.

"_Shockwave!"_ Muki cried, swinging his arm horizontally; his Psych hit a Noise dead-on, Erasing it in an instant.

I then realized that I suddenly knew what a 'Psych' was.  
I suddenly knew a great deal of things.

My left hand dove into my pouch, and drew out a Pyrokinesis Pin… I wasn't prepared to resign myself to fate, just yet.

* * *

_00:02…  
00:01…  
00:00_

_Is that it…?_ I held my breath in apprehension; just as I had finished Erasing another Noise, the Timer had hit zero… My uncertainties were, thankfully, for naught: The Timer disappeared, taking any and all of my unspoken fears of mine with it.  
It was over.

"Great, great," the Reaper sighed unenthusiastically, licking his 'bean paste', "you pass, flying colours and all; thanks for playing, and all that."

"Why so glum?" A familiar voice questioned the Reaper.

"Muki!" I turned, breathing a sigh of relief upon catching sight of my Partner. _We're back…_ I noted; without my perceiving it, the three of us had returned to the 'normal' Scramble Crossing; the streets were once again filled with chatter and people, just as they should.

"I said a bowl of ramen was on the line, remember?" The Reaper simpered, brandishing his 'bean paste', "thanks to you two, I just lost 500 yen. Good work." He added, chuckling in his now-recognizably nonchalant fashion.

"You're… pretty laid back for a Reaper." Muki commented, keeping a firm a grip on his Shockwave Pin, cautious of any other possible threats.

"Am I? I dunno, I've been doin' this Harrier thing for too long, I guess… Kinda tired by now." He shrugged, apparently fine with whether he was or not. "… Well, see ya." He turned away from us, and walked away with a bored, lazy gait; like a high-schooler breaking off from his friends to go home.

"Wait…!" I blurted out. "You… That's it? You try to kill us, and now you're just… Leaving?" My mind had come crashing back down from its previous, 'enlightened' state; at the time, I had thought it to be the adrenaline leaving my system, (though I would soon find that that was _not_ the case,) but in any case, I had returned to a relatively distressed state of mind, the reality of the situation was reasserting itself to me.

"Huh?" Groaning, the orange-haired Reaper twisted his head around, and stared straight at me. "What, do you _want_ me to fight ya again…? You're pretty high-maintenance." The man laughed at his own joke, and then spoke to Muki. "Scruffy, take care of the lady; it sucks to have an Entry Fee like hers; I've seen another Player with that same Entry Fee, and he… Well, he didn't like it." He faced forward, and continued to walk away. "Later."

Within a minute, I was left alone with Muki, staring in disbelief at the spot in which the Reaper had stood.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"And the valiant Knight returns…!" The Knight announced in a playful manner, joining his two comrades on the roof of 104.

"Well, look who's back…" The Rook greeted the Knight with a friendly wave.

"Another Day down, huh?"

"Indeed," the Knight nodded, twirling an antique cane, a 'charm' of sorts, in his left hand. "Everything had, so far, gone 'without a hitch', as it were."

"Good to see that you're taking your position seriously, for a change…" The Queen crossed her arms, and turned her head away.

"Hm…" The Knight merely smiled in response. "The Bishop is still out?"

"Of course," the Queen replied straight away, "she'll have deployed her Revel Points before the Week is half done. Just as the King projected."

"Where _is_ his royal majesty?" The Rook grinned, addressing the Queen in his usual, individualist manner.

"… Occupied." The Queen stated. "Just concentrate on your position, Rook."

"'fcourse, I will…" The Rook complied, looking over the edge of the 104 rooftop. "But that _is_ my position, isn't it…?" He rested his chin upon his hand, now talking to himself, more than anyone else. "I'm 'The Castle that guards the King'… Right?"

* * *

**Player Side**

"So… If what you're saying is to be believed… We're trapped in this… Week-long 'Reapers' Game'," after I recapped, making sure that I had heard Muki correctly; he nodded, "a Game that we entered into of our own free will," he nodded again, almost bored, as if I should know all of this already, "and, as an… 'Entry Fee', the Reapers… Took my memories…?"

"'sright." Muki nodded one final time, driving home the utter triviality that the situation held for him. "Well, I mean…" He rephrased. "… It _looks_ like your memories are your Entry Fee; I'm just assuming you don't have short-term memory loss, or somethin'…"

"… Okay." I said, at last; I wasn't necessarily accepting all that he said to be true, though I thought it best to play along for the time being… The prisoner gains little from struggling against the warden. "… What happened to me earlier?"

"'scuse me?" Muki raised an eyebrow, apparently unaware of what I meant.

"Earlier, that 'Light Puck'… I …" I stopped, searching for the words needed to explain myself.

"Ah, well," Muki, now on the same page, answered for me "the Light Puck is…" To my exasperation, Muki paused, as well; he had similar trouble explaining it, it seemed. "… It kind of… Syncs us up."

"'Syncs… Us up'." I echoed in a deadpan voice, not sure what to make of it.

"Yeah… It's sort of… A carrier," he smiled, seemingly satisfied with 'carrier', "it carries our thoughts, our feelings our emotions," Muki gestured with his hands, more confident, now, "it makes us… The same, you know? Ergo: Sync us up."

_… Great explanation._ I repressed the urge to say it out loud… But at the very least, I had a slightly better grasp on what had happened. "So, the Light Puck is why I knew about Psychs, and Pins, and… Noise?" The experience had been such a rush; like a burst of adrenaline, I hadn't thought to question it. "It was like someone was forcing information into me…"

"Hmm…" Muki held the back of his neck, thoughtful, "that seems a bit excessive, even for the Puck… Maybe," he held up a finger, and gave me a theory, "since your mind is so empty," (I decided that his choice of words was an unfortunate mistake, and let it slide,) "it sorta acts as a vacuum for information; that's why the Puck's influence on you was that much stronger." He grinned obnoxiously, as if he was a star pupil being praised by his teacher. "'slike… Empty minds learn fast, huh?"

_... He's not doing it on purpose._ I told myself.

This was going to be a long week.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

The Scramble Crossing was populated by near a hundred people, walking, talking… Noisy. Among them were four residents of the UnderGround: Katy, Magokoro Muki, and…

"Knight." A low voice startled the young Knight; realizing that there was only one person who would stick to the shadows as the voice's owner did, the Knight smiled.

"My." The Knight placed a hand on his head, and regained his composure as quickly as he had lost it… Though, he had perhaps never lost in the first place, really. "Ms. Bishop, what _are_ you doing here? Don't you have… 'Bad Luck' to spread?"

"…" The woman cloaked in darkness paid him no heed, and fired off a question of her own. "… Why aren't those Players asleep?"

"That would be because the Day hasn't ended yet, I'd say." The Knight shrugged.

"Why not?"

The Knight simply said, "I'm watching them." Still not bothering to look in her direction.

"That's not relevant."

"It _is_, if you take it to mean…" The Knight turned his crimson eye on the Bishop. "… _'Go away'_." His voice, polite and calm, was laced with an unusual bloodlust; a stark contrast to his usual jovial demeanour.

"… Fine."

The Bishop departed as she had arrived… Silently.

* * *

**Player Side**

"… Hm." Magoroko Muki made a sound, and pulled out his phone. "… It's been half an hour since the Mission ended." Speaking to me, he sounded slightly… Worried.

"…" I stayed silent. According to Muki, all Players should fall asleep after a Mission is cleared.  
… Somehow.

"Well…" He scratched his head. "If we're not goin' to sleep… Want to take a walk?" An ordinarily reasonable proposal, but in light of the circumstances, I confess… I wanted to stay still, for a bit.

"I know this great ramen joint!" Muki jabbed a thumb in the direction of 104. "Or a café, if you prefer; it's pretty hip."

_There's that word again… 'Hip'._ While I knew perfectly well what I wanted… The courteous action to take would be to accept his offer… He _had_ saved my life, after all. "… Very well," I attempted to form a small smile, "whichever's closer."

"Great! That would be Ramen Don," Muki beamed, "they have Mystic Ramen on sale, right now!"

"Wait, how do you know-"

"That lady over there," he pointed to a nearby teenager, "but they're almost out, so let's gooo!" Not giving me a chance to respond, Muki sprinted off, leaving me little choice but to follow. _… "That lady over there"…?_ I thought as I set off after him at a brisk pace.

* * *

'Dogenzaka' as Muki called it, was not as I remembered it.  
Or maybe it was.  
Truth be told, I had no idea… But I _did_ feel a twinge of familiarity upon hearing the name…  
A minor comfort.

"So, Muki… I hadn't given it much thought, but…" I looked around before finishing in a whisper. "… Can people see us?"

"Uh… No. Not really." Muki answered, as the two of us walked up Dogenzaka. "Kind of. Well…" He scratched the back of his head.

"… Which is it?"

"… We're… In the UnderGround, or 'UG', for short."

"Okay…?"

"We're not invisible, it's… We're just on a separate Plane of Existence, so…"

"Ah, I see…" I nodded my head. "Any given being can only perceive a being on the same Plane as them… Or lower, I assume?" I motioned to the various people around us. "Considering we can see and hear everyone here." _Interesting that the 'UnderGround' would be higher up…_

"… Yeah, haha," He laughed lightly, almost forcing it… Perhaps he hadn't caught on as quickly as I did. "… You catch on quick, huh?" … Yes, I would say that he didn't.

"So, did you hear that lady from earlier talking to someone else?"

"Oh, that? No, I…" He chuckled, and held up one of the few things my amnesiac mind recognized: The Skull Pin. "I _Scanned_ her."

_… Dare I ask?_ "And… What does 'Scanning' mean…?" _Yes._

"Your Player Pin," Muki explained with a smug look on his face, "can read people's minds. Essentially." My eye's widened in surprise, as my hand went to retrieve my own 'Player Pin'.

"Oh, that's right." Muki's satisfied expression disappeared, and he drew another Player Pin out of his hoodie pocket. "This is your one; it was next to you when I found you… I forgot to give it back." He handed it to me, his face now apologetic.

I hesitated, remembering my first encounter with the small piece of metal… After a moment, I quickly snatched it from his palm, and shoved it into my pouch. "… Thank you."

"No worries," he smiled, gesturing to a shop with a sign reading 'Ramen Don', "we're here. Shall we?"

"Hold on," I followed him, despite my recent revelation, "how can we order anything if no-one can see us-"

"_Irrashai!_ I see you two!" A boisterous male voice boomed out as soon as we set foot in the shop. My mouth opened ever-so-slightly in shock. "What would you kids like?" The friendly storeowner roared with laughter.

"Wh-"

"_Domo, Doi-san!_" Muki laughed back. "_Otaku no eigyou hanjoo, desu ne? Omise mo odoroku hodo subrashii…!_" Muki surveyed the store with an impressed expression on his face, as I looked on, bewildered

"_Gahaha! Magokoro-kun, datta ka!_" The storeowner laughed again. "_Eigyou kai? Sore wa kimitachi no okage janai, kana?_"

"_Sou kana? Betsuni…_"

My mind was in a state of complete confusion; it was almost as if… "Uh… Muki."

"'sup?" He answered instantly.

"… What language were you speaking?" I asked, feeling rather foolish.

"Japanese." He stated, matter-of-factly.

"… Aren't we already speaking Japanese?" I was growing more and more confused.

"I dunno… _Aren't_ we?" He gave me a funny look.

"_Hora, hora_," the storeowner rhythmically tapped his hands on the counter,"_isoide nanika o chumon shitekureyo!_" The storeowner pleaded in a joking manner; he walked over, and held Muki in a friendly embrace.

"_Haha, jaa, ore wa Misutikku Ramen wo chumon suru… Akiraka, da ne._" He added, (not that I could… Really understand what he was even saying,) as the storeowner brought him to a seat, and placed an already-prepared bowl of ramen in front of him.

"_Gahaha, akirakadattana?_" They both shared one more laugh, before the storeowner returned to me. "… _Hoh…!_" He looked me over, like a gemmologist appraising an amethyst, (I shuffled around in slight discomfort, wondering what the repercussions of simply fleeing the store would be,) and then, for a reason that was entirely lost on me, gave an astonished gasp, and turned to Muki, "_masaka…! Magoroko-kun… Kono wakai josei wa kimi no koibito, ka?!_"

For some… Indiscernible reason, Muki, who had already started eating, noisily spat out whatever had been in his mouth, (I cringed as the overall awkwardness of the situation went up to eleven,) and began coughing, choking on what I assumed to be strands of noodles stuck in his throat.

Somehow… As the storeowner, (or 'Ken Doi', as I would later come to know him,) rushed over in a panic, to help Muki… I smiled. This was… At this moment… The closest thing that I had to a family. This place would, for many years, be the only place I could ever call… 'Home'.

… I couldn't help but laugh.  
Soon, they, too, laughed.  
It was… Nice. Peaceful, even.

… Unfortunately, just as it is 'Darkest before the Dawn'… The following days would prove… That it's also 'Brightest before the Dark'.

* * *

_**2nd Day: Part II – Adjournment**_

* * *

**Alright! That's another down XP**

**As you can see, while the Player Sides are always narrated by, and follow, Katy, the Reaper Sides don't necessarily follow one specific Reaper, (the Game Master, the Knight, the Queen, Kariya, etc.)**

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed that!  
I tried to… Inject a bit of humour into the end there, buuut… Did it go well?  
…**

**EVERYONE ON **_**SOSS**_**, I WILL REVIEW. I'M TRYING. PLS. I'M SORRY.**

**-X**


	5. 3rd Day

**Uh.  
So, we're 5 weeks into **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** :D  
Aaand I've only reviewed… Once…**

…

**This must change.**

**Seriously.**

* * *

**Chapter V**

Though the queen is arguably the most versatile Piece in chess, it would be fair to say that the pawn has the most _potential_.  
The pawn, a common, lower-level piece, follows orders without question, only ever marching forward, unable to defy its orders, unable to run…  
At least… That's how it is at a Game's beginning.  
The pawn, a mindless drone, a cog in the king's machine, possessing no identity to call its own, may initially charge forward by two squares; every subsequent turn after that, the pawn seems to experience fear, or even reluctance, only able to move one square at a time; the pawn begins to develop its own sense of self, distinguishing itself from the other pawns.

Ordinarily, the pawn may only attack a diagonally adjacent square in front of them; interestingly, the pawn is the only Piece in the Game that changes its movement pattern to attack. Once a pawn has advanced far enough in the field of battle, it undergoes another change: If it so chooses, the pawn may, for the first and only time in the Game, dispatch a charging enemy pawn, by cutting it down from its side… At first, the pawn could only follow a preordained move-set, but at that point… If only for a moment… The pawn defied the rules of the Game, and attacked as it saw fit. _Acted_ as it saw fit.  
For that one moment… The pawn was no mere pawn; it had moved to its own will. One could say that, for the first time in its life… The pawn had been able to move without being ordered to.

For the first time in the pawn's life, it had rejected the road given to it… And walked its own path.

* * *

_**3rd Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

"… _Huh?"_ Once again, I was having that same, recurring dream; standing in the dark, graffiti-ridden tunnel. This time, however, it was slightly different. _… I'm… Alone._ Looking around, I found that I was, indeed, completely alone; the White Hood that ordinarily accompanied me was nowhere to be seen. _… Oh…!_ As my eyes flew around the area, searching for any kind of movement or indication of life… Something caught my eye.

_Step…  
Step…_

_Drip…  
Drip…_

"_Fff, haah… Fff, haah…" _My footsteps echoed through the tunnel, joining the dripping of water, and my own, sharp breaths; the only sounds in this otherwise soundless place. _… This graffiti…_ Staring at the bright mural on the wall, I could see many different elements that had been incorporated into it. _A lion, a Grim Reaper, and…_ I paused, not sure what to feel.  
The white skull of the Player Pin stared back at me from the wall.

Where… Was I…?

* * *

I gasped, and awoke with a start; from what I could tell, I was lying on my side, back in the middle of the Scramble Crossing; the gravel crunched beneath my form, as the first wisps of consciousness began to take hold of my mind. _… Did the Day end?_ I immediately considered what I had last been doing. _I was… With Muki, at Ramen Don…_ I quickly recalled. The unpleasant smell of exhaust fumes attacked me, and the chatter of Shibuya's residents maintained its usual swell; my eyesight was unfocused, still booting up, as I left the strange dream-world behind. I pressed my hand to my left eye, attempting to stimulate my blurry vision into correcting itself; I rolled to my left, and… "_WAAAH!_" My entire body jerked backwards, as my right hand reflexively struck Magokoro Muki in the face.

_Smack!_

"_Oww…!_" Muki, who had been crouching next to me, (_far_ too close for comfort,) retreated a step backwards, and held his cheek. "… That's some slap you got there…" He grimaced; from the look on his face, it appeared as though he had not expected me to be so quick. Neither had I. "… Just use that against the Game Master and we should do alright." He added, chuckling, and rubbing his skin.

"_Wh-… You…!_" My hand recoiled, as I attempted to compose my flustered self. "… What were you _doing?!_" Now sitting on the sides of my legs, I shuffled away from Muki, both out of embarrassment, as well as guilt.

"I was waiting for you to wake up." He replied straight away, in his usual, straight-forward manner. "I didn't want to _kick_ you awake, or anything." He briefly alluded to the Day prior, where the situation had been somewhat reversed: _He_ had woken with _me_ standing over him.

"… Couldn't you have waited at a more… _Appropriate_ distance?" My words spilled out of me, half-chosen, and half-instinctual; my face began to match the colour of his reddened cheek.

"Oh, don't worry," he laughed, still caressing the mark I'd given him, "I will, next time." He smiled, apparently unaware of the intense discomfort that he had instilled.

_… Is this man completely ignorant to the concept of 'personal space'…?_ Unable to think of anything suitable to say to Muki, I opted to wait for the Mission in silence.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_Creak…!_

He cringed upon hearing the sound; the door sounded like it hadn't been opened in years. "… You should really get that oiled." He called out, despite the apparent lack of people in the building; the lights were off, and the air was musky. "… Hm." He tilted his head slightly, like a confused, curious puppy, and stepped inside, closing the door behind Him. "You're not here…? Really?" He raised His voice, hoping that the intended recipient of His words was merely out of sight. "… Well, that's a pity. I haven't adopted this form in so long; I rather thought you'd enjoy the trip down memory lane." He smirked, and continued to talk, perhaps pretending that He had a conversational partner. "Heh," He let out a single, short sound of amusement, and sat down at the counter, "I suppose you finally decided to close the silly place down…? It never did do much but take up your time…" He giggled an uncharacteristically girlish laugh for a male, and twirled a strand of His platinum blond hair around His finger. "… They're coming." He stopped laughing; His voice was now low, and serious. "I might not be able to stop them… It might not even be the… Best course of action…" He paused, and closed His eyes, thoughtful. "… My vision's clouded. I haven't ever seen anything like this… So, wherever you are, I hope you can hear me. I need your help." The Composer, Yoshiya 'Joshua' Kiryu, opened His eyes, which were shining their usual bright violet, and smiled solemnly. "I'm counting on you… Sanae."

* * *

**Player Side**

"… Oh." My eyes stayed closed, concentrating, but I couldn't help but mutter in astonishment. "So… This is 'Scanning'." I held the Player Pin firmly in my left hand; as with all other Pins, it had felt ice-cold, until I had initiated its Psych; it now felt like it had been heated in a furnace… It was comparable to a piece of metal that had been freshly smelted, though the intense temperature of the Pin caused me no pain… Perhaps it was a thing of the mind.

"Don't lose focus…!" Muki, who had suggested that I attempt a Scan, cautioned me. "If you let your mind wander during a Scan, you could end up drawing in a Noise, instead."

"… Of course." I managed to reply. It was unbelievable; if Shibuya was loud, than this… Well, there was no word for it; the amount of information you can verbally convey… It _pales_ in comparison to the amount you can mentally imagine.  
Multiply that by roughly one thousand. That's what I was hearing; Scanning in such a city, an area populated by the highest possible number of people, filled with the most unique thoughts… You might as well listen to every television channel and radio frequency at once.

"Right now, you're just skimming the surface," Muki elaborated, "you can hear the strongest thoughts of every person in the area; like reading email subjects in an inbox."

"… Okay." I forced another word out of myself; I felt that if I moved, I would, somehow, cause something to go wrong; if the Scan's intensity increased, I would not be happy.

"If you concentrate on a certain person or persons," Muki continued, "you can read their thoughts more… In depth; think of it as opening the email, when previously, you had only read its subject."

"How poetic." I immediately said. _Uh…_ I hadn't meant to say that, at least, not out loud; with all of my concentration on the Scan, it appeared as though I had none left to stop myself from making any involuntary comments. So with that, I terminated the Scan, and let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. "That… Certainly was…" I tried to convey the mixed emotions I felt.

"'Lucid'?" Muki offered with a grin.

"… Yes, in a word, I suppose… 'Lucid'." I hadn't gone so far as to personally read any one person's mind; at best I had a jumble of disconnected words from everyone. To go any further would have felt like an invasion of privacy. _In fact…_ I thought to myself. _As amazing as that was… I think that I will refrain from Scanning anyone in the future, if I can help it._

_Beep, beep_

"The Mission." Muki dropped his grin; we went for our phones simultaneously.  
I felt a small feeling of irritation cross me, as I read the Mission Mail.

**[Bout III: Erase the Noise from the Possessed Boy. You have 120 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

Fate was a cruel mistress, indeed.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"_There_ you are! Where were you yesterday? It's _tiiime!_" Koki Kariya sang. "Mission's up, Uzuki; we've got a good, long two hours to Harry us some Players-"

"_Really_, Kariya?" Kariya's sunny disposition was met by a cold stare from his partner, a female Reaper with bubble-gum-pink hair, curled up on the rooftop's surface like a child with a stomach-ache. "The _one_ time that I want to slack off, you actually want to work?"

"That's what I'm here for," Kariya closed his eyes, and sighed. "we complement each other nicely; You're the dark and gloomy Yin, and I'm the fun-lovin' Yang."

"Excuse me?" Uzuki Yashiro sat herself against a wall, not wishing to stand up. "I am _so_ not 'dark and gloomy'."

"'_Ugh, Kariya!'_" Kariya raised the pitch of his voice, and sluggishly flailed his 'bean paste' around, "'_you are, like, _so_ lazy, why are you so lazy?_'" His mimicry drew an even colder stare from Uzuki. "_'stop it with the games, they're so _boring_; if you don't work harder, then I'll be, like, promoted without you, and then we won't be togeth-'_ _oof!_" Kariya doubled over, winded, as Uzuki shook her fist, wincing.

"Ow, that _hurt_," she watched Kariya quickly begin to recuperate, "have you got a bunch of Pins under your hoodie, or what…?!"

Kariya stood up straight, fully recovered, and held his 'bean paste' to his lips in a bored fashion. "what, these?" Kariya reached into his hoodie's pocket, and drew out a handful of packaged…

"… _Lollipops!?_" Uzuki stared at the mass of sweets in Kariya's hand; she had often wondered how he always had one at the ready; she briefly considered the possibility that it wasn't real, and thus, would last forever… But now, it seemed that Kariya had been keeping a large backup-supply on his person at all times.

"_'Bean pastes'_." Kariya corrected Uzuki with a flick of his… 'Bean paste'.

"… You've been carrying those all this time?!" Uzuki's jaw dropped.

"If by 'all this time' you mean 'since we met', then… Yes." He chuckled, and dodged a second punch from Uzuki.

"All those times I've wanted a snack, and you've been saying you've had 'nothing on you'!" She screeched, and swung at Kariya, who neatly sidestepped.

"Can't let you lose your figure, girl." He snarked, cramming the 'bean pastes' back into his pocket. "'sides, these are specially made for me."

"By who… Oh, whatever…" Uzuki sank to the ground, and curled back into a fetal position, having lost interest and expended whatever energy she had.

"… Oh boy... You're _really_ out of it today." Kariya knelt down, slightly concerned. "What happened to you? Didn't Erase enough Players yesterday, or something?"

"Don't be stupid…" Uzuki lay motionless for several seconds, and then sat herself back up. "… One of them got me." She held a hand to her own stomach. "… Almost got Erased."

Kariya's eyes immediately narrowed, and his demeanour turned unusually serious. "You almost got Erased by… A Player?" He asked slowly. "On Day 2?" Such an event was very rare, almost unheard of; a fresh Player outclassing an experienced Reaper was comparable to David killing Goliath.

"Well, we can't fight _back_, but yeah…" She murmured. "… He's strong."

"Can you tell me who… 'He' is?"

"… Kariya," Uzuki, placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, and brought him very close, "this guy… I'm not even sure he's a real Player."

Kariya's eyebrow twitched upwards. "What makes you say that? If he's not a Player, then…" 'What is he', was the question that immediately rose to his mind.

"… I set some Noise on him… And he destroyed them all in an instant; that's when he nearly got me." She grimaced, painfully remembering. "And… He didn't attack me on Day 2." She added. "He attacked me on Day 1."

Kariya drew in a sharp breath; he could see where Uzuki was going.

"… He didn't have a Partner with him." She finally said, confirming Kariya's worries. "Kariya… I think he might be a Reaper."

The orange-haired Reaper nodded, keeping in his usual, calm state of mind. "Not much else he _could_ be, I guess…" He sighed, and pulled out his phone. "I guess we'd better report this."

* * *

**Player Side**

_13:41…  
13:40…  
13:39…_

After Scanning the Scramble Crossing, we had immediately run for 104; surprisingly, there was no Wall, though the reason for that soon became clear: Dogenzaka, Shibukyu Main Store, and the 104 Building itself, all had their own Walls; we had to choose which place to search. After tearing through the 104 Building, we checked Dogenzaka, where I had resisted the urge to ask Ramen Don's Ken Doi about yesterday's events. Muki quickly spotted two other Players: A pair of children, (I was both amazed and disturbed that such youngsters were playing this Reapers' Game,) exiting the Pork City tower at the edge of Dogenzaka; I would have liked to have talked with them more, but considering the objective at hand, we could only tell each other the places that we had searched, before going our separate ways.

* * *

"Hey, you two!" Muki yelled. "Holding up okay?"

"Oh, you can see us!" The girl of the two beamed, and ran towards us, holding the other Player, a little boy, by the hand. "Yes, we're fine, thank you!"

"No…" I slowed down, in disbelief. "They're Players…?" I whispered to myself. _That's awful…_

"We've checked out Pork City; there's no one in there" The boy said. "Are you and the lady alright?" His rather polite question threw me even more off-guard than I had already been.

"We're good, thanks kid." Muki grinned. "You must've come through the 104 area… But the Wall on the actual Building was up, so you didn't go in?" He pointed to the two of them, speaking quickly.

"No, we decided to search Pork City first, as it's rather large," The girl replied, "we came straight here from 104, as I assume the two of you did, as you approached us from that direction?"

"That's right." Muki nodded; he looked genuinely impressed by the girl's quick thinking.

"Me and big-sis are gonna go straight to Udagawa," the boy chimed in, "we'll search all the areas on the way."

"Cool," Muki agreed, "Katy and I'll go 'round to A-East, and then try the Station Underpass."

"Excellent," the girl happily approved, "good luck out there!" She then gave us slightly sad, apologetic look, as if to say 'I'm sorry we can't stick together', before her brother shouted.

"Okay, break!" He laughed, and pulled on his sister's hand, running off in the direction of the Scramble Crossing.

"N-… Wait…!" I choked out, having finally found my voice, but it was too late; Muki was already pulling me in the opposite direction.

"They'll be fine, Katy." He reassured me as he dragged me along. "If they survived two Days, they're more capable than they look. Worry and hesitation won't accomplish anything."

"… I know." I reluctantly accepted; I knew in my mind that what Muki was saying was true… But it was terrible; what kind of horrors had those innocent children faced up until now? What kind of horrors _would_ they face from here on in?  
If they were afraid, they certainly didn't show it; perhaps it was all a game to them, beyond the literal sense; they _were_ children, after all.  
I subconsciously resolved to do their share of worrying for them, and continued searching.

* * *

With Pork City clear of any people at all, A-East was next, which also proved to be empty of 'Possessed Boys'; clearing the Wall into A-East's Concert Stage yielded a similar result, as did the Shibukyu Main Store district.

Looping back to the Scramble Crossing, Muki and I found a possible clue around the Statue of Hachiko.

* * *

"Anything?" Muki called out as he Scanned the area.  
"… No, I'm sorry; I see nothing here, either." I began to disengage the Psych, when a nearby thought fragment caught my ear.

{-e's late… That's weird… He was acting all strange; I hope it wasn't anything I did…}

My attentiveness wavered for the briefest of moments, and I found myself dangerously close to Scanning a nearby Noise. "_Agh!_" I forcibly shut down the Scan, and reflexively brought an arm up to shield my body.

"Katy?" Muki's voice was alarmed; he began to lower his arms.

"No, wait!" I stopped him. "Don't stop! Scan that girl with the glasses!" I pointed to a bespectacled teenager standing next to Hachiko, it was her thought that I had heard.

"On it!" He complied at an impressive speed, and I quickly joined him in Scanning the girl, mentally apologizing to her as I did so.

{It's not about… That time, again, is it?...} She bit her lip. {… No. He'd tell me; we don't hide things from each other anymore.} Releasing her lip from her teeth, she adjusted her large, circular glasses, and smiled warmly. {Well… Except for his surprise party,} the girl giggled to herself, {it's going to be so fun… All our friends'll be there… I can just picture his face when he sees us… He's going to totally flip!} She laughed, slightly louder this time, sending waves of warmth through me; I'd never seen anyone so happy. {I'm glad we could meet each other… So hurry up and get here, okay?... N-}

"Katy!" Muki's voice shook me back to reality; I dropped my Player Pin, and the Scan ended.

"Wh-… Huh?" I took a step back, dazed.

"We can't stay here forever," he pointed in the direction of the Station Underpass; he had stopped Scanning her a while ago, "we need to check the Underpass."

"Oh… Of course." I retrieved my Player Pin from the ground. "… My apologies." I bowed, low and formal; the feeling of utter contentment from that girl had overwhelmed me… Her honest, straightforward thoughts had stunned me… I couldn't…  
…

_Slap!_

"_Ow…!?_" I jerked upright to see Muki, who had just slapped the top of my head, wearing a comically unamused look.

"The hell are you doing…? Apologize at a 'more _appropriate_' time, we got work to do!" He threw my earlier words back at me, stunning me… But then I laughed.

Muki looked on as I laughed, for the first time in a long time; at Ramen Don, I had laughed, but that was a lighter laugh; filled with amusement at Muki and Ken Doi's antics, and a thankfulness for the 'life' that I had, then and there… As I stood at Hachiko, I laughed harder than I had ever before; I laughed so hard that I began to cry. The look on Muki's face changed from unamused, to confused, to being completely at a loss; I laughed even harder.I was laughing a loud, confused, lost, amused… Sad kind of a laugh.

And then… It ceased.

"… I…" A few tears continued to run down my cheeks, as the last bouts of laughter escaped me. "… I'm afraid. You said that if we win, we get our Entry Fees back… But… You know what you've lost. You know what's waiting for you, back in your ordinary life… I don't." I held a hand to my mouth, begging myself to stop crying. We could get through this. _Just… Stop crying…_ "I don't even know why I'm in this Game in the first place… Maybe…" I stopped, and considered the worst. "… Maybe I'm here… Because I _wanted_ to die." Before I could say anything, I suddenly felt a pressure around me.  
Muki was hugging me. "… What are you doing…?" I asked, my voice still affected from my breakdown, wavering in pitch and volume.

"… We're Partners." He said, in his always-constant, simplistic way. "… We have to support each other… Right?" He smiled at me; a smile laced with sadness. Muki wasn't just comforting me because we were Partners… He was genuinely sharing my sadness… Trying to ease the burden I carried, even if… By that tiny, little bit.

He was always so… Caring. So… Nice. Friendly.  
Magokoro Muki was, for all his quirks, the best person I knew… Never giving up, ever ready to prop me back up whenever I fell… I thought… I knew that no matter what happened in this Reapers' Game, Magokoro Muki was the one person I could always trust… Who I could call my friend. He was always there for me.

…

And it disgusted me.

I was infuriated at myself; an ugly surge of emotion, a mixture of jealousy and self-loathing, ran through me. How could he stay so calm? So… Rational? I was suddenly possessed by a desire to know what _his_ Entry Fee was; he had said that a Player's Entry Fee is whatever they value the most…So what was his? That he attempted to comfort me, while he, too, had lost the centre of his world… It was unimaginable.

I was sad.  
I was angry.  
Enraged.  
Sickened.  
Revolted.  
I wanted to burn myself in the flames of my own _Pyrokinesis _Psych, and see just how quickly it would take for me to scream for Magokoro Muki to help me, to see just how quickly he would help me, as he always did, and to measure just how heavily I depended on him.

For all the Reapers' evils, I was certain, at that moment, that I was the most despicable, loathsome being in the entire Game.  
Even that orange-haired Reaper had spared us; in the act of fighting us at less than full strength, I knew that he had _allowed_ us to walk away unscathed.  
Perhaps he did it out of apathy… A lack of interest in killing us.  
But it mattered not.  
That was what he had done.

And what had _I_ done?  
What.  
Had.  
I.  
Done?

…

Nothing.  
I had done nothing.  
Thinking back, I realized that I had done absolutely nothing worthy of note since this Godforsaken Game had begun: I had woken at the Scramble Crossing, passed out, and been saved by Muki; the next Day was no different: I only managed to _confuse_ myself further, by running into a few Walls, and I was, of course, once again saved by Muki, as it was only he that could provide me with the answers I sought, and afterwards, I barely managed to impress myself with a few simple Psychs, Erasing what were _literally_ the weakest Noise in Existence, thinking even _harder_ on it, I was _again_ saved by Muki, as it was only thanks to his Light Puck that I even figured out how to use a Psych in the first place.  
Nothing.  
I had done nothing.

Always failing, only ever being saved, relying on Muki, being weak, asking, pleading, losing it, crying, _whining, pretending, protected, dependant, __**inadequate, feeble, useless, desperate, REPULSIVE, FAILURE, USELESS, WEAK**_

_**FAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILURE**_

_**USELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESS**_

_**WEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAK**_**_!_**

…

It took me a while to realise that I was screaming.

…

And then everything went black.

…

…

…

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_Creak…!_

"… Man, that sounds bad. I gotta oil that, or something-"

"Yes, you really should."

"_!_" The man's hand flew to the light switch, and flicked it on; immediately he caught sight of the voice's owner. "… Josh…!"

"Ah, there you are, Sanae." Joshua smirked, still sitting at the counter of the Wildkat Café. "It's been a while."

* * *

"And who's your friend…?" Joshua quickly noticed that Sanae Hanekoma, the Producer, was carrying a body over his shoulder.

"Not a 'body'." Hanekoma corrected Joshua, sighing. "She's alive. Well…" The disgruntled barista decided to rephrase his point in better words. "… In the UG."

Joshua seemed to freeze for a moment, his brow furrowing and his eyes widening by the minutest amount… And then, time resumed its normal course. "Oh… You Scanned me…? Are you carrying a Player Pin, Sanae?" Joshua looked his old friend over, laying the unconscious Player down onto a sofa, and giggled. "It _is_ appropriate, I suppose; you look… Rather different," Joshua shook his head, "were we not such old friends, I don't believe I would've recognized you. Are _you_ a Player this time around?"

Hanekoma said nothing.

"Ah, of course… I suppose that was _you_ who almost Erased that Yashiro Reaper… She's not as strong as you might think." Joshua joked.

"… A lot's happened." Hanekoma said, simply, as he moved behind the counter to brew some coffee.

"Of course, you're right." Joshua suddenly looked rather unhappy, sensing that it wasn't the time for jokes. "'Fallen Angel', and all that… If _they_," Joshua's eyes briefly looked upwards, "catch you… It won't be pretty…" His normally jovial face was now looking sincerely remorseful; the finger playing with his hair slowed its course, as if equally saddened.

"I've said it before… I'm at peace with my status as a Fallen Angel… I don't blame you," though Joshua's body remained motionless, Hanekoma could see it in his eyes; Joshua had flinched by the smallest amount, "or anyone else for it… And, since we're talkin' about it, I wanted to thank you for speaking for me to the Council."

"It was… The least I could do…" Joshua looked down as Hanekoma slid a cup of House Blend his way. "… They're coming."

"I know. I heard you." Hanekoma nodded, and took a sip from his own cup.

"What should we do…?" Joshua wondered as he picked up the House Blend.

"… This girl here's special." Hanekoma indicated the sleeping figure on the sofa.

"'Special'?" Joshua repeated; were this any other time, he would've made some sort of matchmaking joke… But as he already knew, this was not the time. "'Special' how?"

"… If Neku was your Proxy… Then you could say that she's… _His_ Proxy."

Joshua stiffened. "… That's not good…" He said, after a long pause. "… Considering her… Rather impressive Soul, _he_ has likely hand-picked her…"

Hanekoma gritted his teeth. "If only… I had noticed her while she was alive; we could've made contact… Too late now." He let out a long, drawn-out breath. "… Can't reveal myself now. Can't even give her a hint. _He's_ locked me out… Her Entry Fee's causing a strong destabilization in her Soul… Worse than Neku Sakuraba's, by far…" Hanekoma looked at the door, and back at Joshua. "We shouldn't be here when she wakes up… _You_ shouldn't be here at all…" Hanekoma ran a hand through his jet-black hair, and sighed, observing at Katy's unconscious form.

"… Hee hee," Joshua giggled, and looked Hanekoma right in the eye, "fret not, Sanae; we can't give up just yet… Chess is, after all…" Joshua laid his now-empty cup back on the counter, and held up a finger. "… A war of attrition."

* * *

**Player Side**

Darkness.

No dream greeted me this time. No strange vision… Nothing.  
Just darkness.

And then… A light.  
I slowly opened my moist eyes, and found myself lying on my back… I remember getting up, but my memory of this moment is very vague…  
I believe I was in a café of some sort; a pleasant-looking place; I recalled that Muki had said something about a 'hip café'… Was this it?

The door flew open, and Magokoro Muki burst in. "You alright?!" He… Said something along those lines. "He's outside! The target!" He seemed concerned for me, but he was also very frantic… Our Timers must have been very close to zero. "I can't Erase the Noise alone! Come on!"

I felt hollow; I was, now more than ever, completely and utterly empty… Like a puppet with its strings cut, I had nothing left.

No memories. They were taken by the Reapers.  
No emotions. I had all but expended them.  
No thoughts… What was there to think?

I did, however, have one small spark of life within me: Will.  
The Will to act.  
The Will to never give in.

"… Okay." My voice was dry, and quiet, serving to move myself, as well as communicate with Muki. Wordlessly, I somehow managed to walk past Muki, and out onto… Cat Street, it was called. _There._ I saw him; we Scanned the Negative Noise around the boy, and engaged them.

I moved like a machine; with no emotions, instincts, nor plans, I fought; my body moved out of the way of any and all oncoming attacks; as if I had been programmed, I efficiently and effortlessly destroyed the Noise that had hijacked the 'Possessed Boy'.  
No Imagination left… My Psychs were powered by pure Will… Nothing more.

Simple.

The Timer vanished.  
Muki looked relieved… As he should have been.

…

…

…

But then something very peculiar happened.  
As I understand, Negative Noise, when latched onto someone, instigate negativity into their target. Erasing the Noise frees that person from their influence, giving them a rush of euphoria; any normal person would simply 'feel better'…

But this boy was no normal person.

"Wait…!" A voice stopped me and Muki, as were walking away. He turned around, a look of surprise on his face. I merely turned. "Is anyone there…?" The boy looked around, his eyes passed over us a few times…

'Of course, he could not see us', I had thought.

And then he said it.

"Are you Players?"

That time I did react, slightly; Muki's eyes narrowed, he looked to be attempting to understand what was happening.

"I can't see you here," he continued; despite his inability to perceive us, he certainly had realized that we were there, "but we can talk in Wildkat; it's got a Decal." He indicated the café that Muki and I had exited. "Please, follow me, it's important…" The boy jogged over to 'Wildkat', and opened the door, pausing to turn to us.

His clothing was a mixture of black, blue, and white; his eyes stared into us, filled with a seriousness that compelled us to do as he said, and his hair… A striking orange, that reminded me of the Reaper that we had encountered. _'So hurry up and get here, okay?... N-'_ was the last thing I had heard from that girl's mind; the 'N' immediately made sense with his next words.

"My name's Neku Sakuraba… I'm an ex-Player, and I want to ask you some questions."

* * *

_**3rd Day – En Passant**_

* * *

**I really don't know what I'm doing. I don't, really XD**

**I know what I **_**want**_** to do… Buuut as to whether I'm managing to do it, that remains to be seen :'P**

**Since you're done reading this, let me tell you, there are some great finds in the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story **_** Community; it's great fun, you should throw everyone there a Favourite, a Follow, a Review, etc… You'll enjoy reading their works, I'm sure :3**

**I need to… Life.  
I need to life, that is a… Thing.**

…

**Mmmngh…**

**-X**


	6. 4th Day

**I… This may have been late- no, this was definitely late by America's time zones… I am sorry X'P**

* * *

**Chapter VI**

There is one instance, one time, in any given chess game where the king may move two squares, as opposed to the ordinary one square.  
Of course… The manoeuvre in question is an inherently defensive one, in which the king takes cover behind his rook.

In other, more concise words: The only time the king can muster the resolve to move faster… Is when he's running away; quaking with fear, hiding in his castle whilst his soldiers are fighting for him…

* * *

_**4th Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

_Drip…  
Drip…  
Drip…_

When you can only remember a small fraction of your life, it almost feels as though you really have lived... Only for that small fraction. Scale is warped out of proportion: Everything seems new; daunting… Days drag on for what seems like years, every minute feels like an hour, time becomes so unbearably compressed, that you are inevitably driven to insanity.  
Myself, I may as well have been born in Shibuya's Scramble Crossing, on the Day that the Reapers' Game started; my mind maintains that my life began at that point in space and time, though my instincts insist otherwise. It's been that way for as long as I can recall.

That's why I had already lost track of the number of times I had found myself dreaming about _that_ place.  
I took one step forward, testing the solidity of the icy, hard ground before me; freezing spikes of cold penetrated my boots, and worked their way up my legs, filling my chest with a feeling of numbness. It occurred to me that I had never thought to explore the vast tunnel that stretched out to either side of me… But then I realized that I also had no desire to explore. Not at this very moment, at least.  
Before I could make another move…

_Jingle…_

Moving far quicker than I had thought possible in my drained emotional state, my feet kicked the ground, and I instantly whirled around, leaping into a ready-to-react position, like a martial artist assuming a battle stance.  
That's when I saw it.

_Step…  
Step…  
Step…_

I instantly felt a deep connection with _that object_… It was only but a few metres from me… A few more steps, and I would be within reach of _that object_.

_Step…  
Step…  
Step…_

There, stabbed neatly into the ground right in front of me, below the Player Pin graffiti, was _that object_… I wanted to touch it, and thus far, I had really not been one to deny my own wishes.

My hand moved almost automatically, and as I grasped the golden, filigree-patterned, latticework-ridden, multi-ringed staff… The strangest thing happened.

…

…I couldn't help but think about the legend of Excalibur…

* * *

A sharp breath inwards, laced with dust and dryness, was all it took to pull me back into the world of the wakened. With no further ado, I unceremoniously prised myself off of the road, and got to my feet. My dead eyes slowly searched the area; I quickly found Muki, sleeping a metre or so away from me.  
Having neither the drive nor the thought to explore the Scramble Crossing once more, I approached the nearest wall, and sat against it, waiting for Muki.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

Magokoro Muki lay in the middle of the Scramble Crossing, his ears and body detecting the many, many footsteps belonging to the various passing people; at one point, a certain set of footsteps caught his ear.  
When you have been in Shibuya for as long as someone like Magokoro Muki, you learn to deduce one's nature by their footsteps; a useful, if strange, skill. Most of Shibuya's footsteps were fast, loud, unrestricted, and… Full of life.  
It was very easy to pick out Katy's footsteps over the rest.

_Slow… Quiet… Mechanical… Dead._ Muki subconsciously analysed his Partner's mentality as his mind roused from the depths of sleep; as he fully awoke, his eyes opened, and he took a deep breath inwards. _Another Day…_ He thought to himself.  
There was much work to be done.  
Like a light switch being flicked 'on', Muki sprung to life, pushing himself up, onto his feet. "Katy." He immediately called her; if she was still in a state like yesterday's, it would not be easy to deal with.  
Sighing, and scratching the back of his head, Muki cricked his neck a couple of times, and examined the area.

* * *

**Player Side**

"Katy…!" I heard a familiar voice call my name, and it immediately occurred to me that I could not see this person's face. _… Most likely due to my eyes being closed._ I thought to myself; it seemed that I had involuntarily almost-dozed-off.  
For the first time, I found my vision being temporarily blinded by the bright glare of the sun's light; every other time I had awoken, my eyes had instantly adjusted to the light level… But not this time.

"Katy, are you… Alright?" Magokoro Muki, my Partner, looked down at me; his voice practically flooded my eardrums with 'concern'.

"… I am fine." I spoke quietly, my dry voice cracking by the tiniest amount.

"… Uh… Well…" Muki shifted around uncomfortably, attempting to think of something to comfort me with… "I guess we didn't get to talk to that ex-Player…"  
I briefly thought about that boy. The same RG resident that had been our Mission's target had turned out to be an 'ex-Player'… Coincidence? _Did he mean that he had played the Reapers' Game before…? Had he… Won?_ We would likely _not_ be getting any answers; sleep had claimed us before he could even see us.

Right at that moment…

_Beep, beep_

The Mission.

* * *

**[Bout IV: Hush the Noise in A-East. You have 30 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

"Well, that's very…" Muki glanced at me, gauging my reaction to the Mission "… Straightforward. In fact," he suddenly looked up, a look of epiphany on his face, "they've all been pretty concise- _owww!_" He flinched as the Timer burned itself onto our palms.

I barely felt it.

"Wasn't… Ready for that," Muki shook his hand a little over-dramatically; perhaps trying to lighten the situation, "but in any case! A-East, we passed it yesterday…" He trailed off on the word 'yesterday'; clearly, Muki did not want to remind me of the prior Day's events. As if he needed to.

"… Let's go." I turned away, and walked towards A-East, with Muki in tow.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"… Uh-Oh…!" The Rook bolted upright as he sensed a strong Soul closing in on the King's position. "It's _their_ King!" The Rook alerted the Queen. "Producer inbound!"

"Tch…!" The Queen stabbed her katana into the rooftop, and turned to the… "Rook! Contain the Reapers!" She ordered, not a hint of unnecessary emotion in her voice.

"On it." He jumped into the air, and vanished instantly.

"Bishop, to the front!" The Queen turned to her left, only to find empty air; the Bishop had already disappeared; quick as always.

"Well, well…" The Knight laughed, and walked up to the Queen. "Did the Composer _really_ manage to make contact with the Producer?"

"It would seem so…" The Queen gritted her teeth.

"I thought that the King had placed a Proximity Lock Psych on Him…?"

"It's not as simple as that…" The Queen raised her arm; her katana trembled slightly, before rocketing out of the concrete roof, and flying into her outstretched hand. Exhaling, the Queen swiped at the air a few times, before looking at the Knight. "You know your move." The Queen pointed towards the area around A-East.

The Knight nodded, and looked towards his target, grinning savagely. "The Game Master."

* * *

**Player Side**

Our feet pounded against the ground as Muki and I rapidly approached A-East; if we had been in the RG, we almost certainly would have failed; the crowds of people were particularly thick on this Day; it was only thanks to our intangibility that we had even run this far in this amount of Time.

"Timer's at 14 Minutes, Katy…!" Muki warned me, but I didn't respond; he knew that I had heard him. The Red Hood guarding the 104 Building Wall had been surprisingly ruthless; only after Erasing four of the same Noise Symbol, had we been permitted to pass. "Katy," Muki had continued to talk throughout the Day, attempting to raise my spirits with bits and pieces of 'UG Trivia', as he called it, "don't think too badly of the Support Reapers…"

"You mean… The Red Hoods?" I joined the conversation for the first time, Which elicited a smile from Muki… Despite my yet-unchanged emotionless voice.

"… Yes, them…" He chuckled; no doubt he found my nickname amusing. "… Support Reapers are the lowest in the Reaper hierarchy," he explained, "their job consists of guarding Walls, and issuing SubMissions-"

"'SubMissions'…" I repeated, having only heard the term now.

"'sright." He nodded as we closed in on the Wall to Dogenzaka. "Those tasks they give us? The Support Reapers earn Points for more Imaginative SubMissions, and more Erased Players." His words were steady, like a teacher calmly informing schoolchildren about the principle of slaughterhouses.

"They… Get 'Points' for murdering Players…?" I felt a small amount of anger rise within myself; it was the first emotion that I had experienced in what seemed like forever, and I was slightly taken aback by myself.

"Well… Those Points are what keeps them in Existence, Katy." Muki shrugged; he had a certain air about him, not the air of one who didn't care… Just the air of one who had accepted reality. "If they don't earn enough Points each Game, they're deemed 'useless', and are either Banished, or Erased on the spot."

I didn't know what to say to that; if his words were true, then it didn't seem right to judge the Red Hoods so easily. The lion eats the antelope to survive, after all.

"… Everybody's gotta eat, kiddo." He finished, giving me a small, sad 'heh'.

"… You're very strange, Magokoro Muki." I said, my voice now carrying a very small amount of life in it.

"Am I?"

"You are the most realistic person I know… Granted, you are the… _Only_ person, I really 'know'', but…" He laughed. "… How can you be so accepting about the cruelty of the world? So forthright and direct, and yet, so caring and trustworthy? Even your speech patterns betray you; one moment, you're formal and analytical… The next, you're casual and carefree… I mean… 'Kiddo'? Really?" I stared at this man… This enigma may have only confused me because he was my only source of companionship… But the fact remained: Magokoro Muki was a mystery. "It's…" I trailed off.

"… What?" Muki smiled, appearing very interested in what I had to say.

"… It's almost like you're not sure… Who you are." I completed my sentence.

"… You got me," he stopped running, and laughed very suddenly, throwing his head back in the air, and looked at me, "I'm a secret, undercover agent. Looks like I need to try harder." He laughed again, before resuming our sprint to A-East.  
As juvenile as the joke was, I couldn't help but feel that there was more truth to his words than there seemed…

At that moment, I felt like I knew Magokoro Muki both a little better… And a little less.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"Well, now…!" The Reaper clicked his fingers, Banishing the majority of his Noise back to the Noise Plane, only leaving one golden bat Noise on his shoulder. "You're both much tougher than you look, aren't you?"

The two small Players in front of him panted heavily, holding each other close.

"I've always had a soft spot for children…" The Game Master chuckled, drawing out a long blade. "… Perhaps I'll take you on, personally."

* * *

**Player Side**

"So." My voice, still stubbornly clinging to its lifeless, monotone pitch, humoured Muki. "The Red Hoods, Support Reapers, are below Harrier Reapers, Black Hoods."

"That's right!" Muki snapped his fingers over-enthusiastically, in the same way a boy desperately tried to show his disinterested friend something of his.

"Above those Harriers… Are the Officer Reapers… One of which," My thoughts turned to the orange-haired Reaper, "is our Game Master."

"Indeed." Muki stole a glance behind us, as we ran up through the Dogenzaka District. "Good thing I told you all that; that 'Bolt from the Blue' guy didn't know what hit him!" Muki laughed, referring to the previous Wall; the Red Hood had insisted that we pass his 'Reaper Review'… In all honesty, I had no idea what was happening, or why.

...

And then I saw them.

A surge of adrenaline shot through me; the effect was amplified tenfold, due to my previous state of mind. "_Muki!_" I screamed for him to follow me, and I shot forward like a bullet.

_Cling!_

_Swish!_

_Clang!_

Just ahead, a man with something akin to a golden bat on his shoulder, and a blade in his hand, presumably a Reaper; to my horror, I could see him advancing on the two kid-Players from yesterday. The Reaper's sword cut into the ground distressingly deep; every time its blade soared towards one of the children, I felt a terrible pang of fear as its tip skimmed by their faces, barely failing to deliver what, otherwise, would surely be a fatal blow.

"Katy, wait!" Muki yelled, but it was too late; I was already sprinting at full speed, towards the three.

Upon noticing me, the Reaper smiled in an unsettlingly friendly fashion, before flourishing his blade, and delivering a series of blindingly fast feints towards the two youngsters, which caused them to stumble backwards, and fall onto the ground. It was clear that the Reaper had previously had no intention of striking the Partnered children; he had merely been playing with them… But now…

"_Stop!_" I shouted in desperation as the Reaper raised his sword to deliver the coup de grace... _Only one thing for it…_ Just as the blade began to fall, I managed to throw myself in front of it; I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that it wasn't as sharp as it looked…

_Shunk…!_

…

…

…

I slowly opened my eyes, and to my disbelief, I realized that the Reaper had not so much as scratched me.

Magokoro Muki had jumped in front of all of us.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_KzzzZZZzzzT…!_

… _Damn… That… Hurts…_ Magokoro Muki had attempted to slow the Game Master's sword with his bare hands, but such an effort was futile; the blade had still managed to bury itself deep within Muki's left shoulder, almost severing his arm clean off.

"Oh… Big Guy!" The farthest Player from Muki, the young boy, spoke. "… Reaper! You… You broke the rules!"

"_Nngh…!_" Muki gripped the blade tighter, as static continued to spill out of his body, forming a scarcely visible cloud around his left side.

"Muki!" Katy's voice was filled with horror.

"Mister!" The girl was similarly worried.

"Oh, bravo…!" The Game Master chuckled. "_Marvellous_ save, Mr. Magokoro Muki." He enunciated every syllable, enjoying the alliteration.

"…" Pain wracked Muki's entire body; he hadn't thought that it would hurt quite this much… But at this point, he had to ask. "… You from CHECKMATE?"

"'Check… Mate?'" Muki heard Katy's echo.

"You mean… He's some kinda rogue Reaper…?!" The Player boy attempted to make sense of the situation.

"If you attacked us… You're not really the Game Master!" The Player girl held her brother close.

The Game Master stared Muki down for a moment, before… "… Pfft… _Ahahahah!_" He laughed, his bright blue eye staring at them from behind a mop of hair. "… Sorry to disappoint, but you are incorrect… I _am_ the Game Master."

"… But… The Game Master- no, actually…" Muki paused. "_No_ Reapers can attack a Player directly on Day 4… But you struck me…!"

"Did I?" The Game Master playfully tilted his head to one side, and ripped his blade out of Muki, causing him to yelp, and grab his arm.

"Muki!" Katy cried, but before she could move, the Game Master wound back.

"_En garde, Monsieur Muki!_" The Game Master's sword rushed towards Muki's heart.

"_Don't move, Katy!_" Muki commanded her before she could so much as blink.  
Everyone watched as the Game Master's blade pierced the fabric of Muki's hoodie; time seemed to slow to a crawl as the tip slid through the material as effortlessly as a knife would cut through hot butter… Surely it would just as easily run Muki through, bringing his Existence to an end…

But then it stopped.

…

* * *

**Player Side**

_Breathe._ I told myself. _He's… Fine… _I could scarcely believe it, but Muki was still standing; the Game Master's blade seemed to have stopped just short of Muki's chest._ Just… Breathe._  
I had no absolutely no idea what was happening.

Without hesitation, the Game Master's arm flicked backwards, before moving to strike Muki's neck.

"_Big Guy!_" The boy struggled to make it to Muki's side, but his sister's iron grip would not permit him.

_Swish!_

A feint; the blade bent downwards, towards Muki's leg.

No response.

_Swish!  
Swash!  
Clang!_

The Game Master followed up with two more feints, before aiming to split Muki's head in two; once again, as if pushed aside by some invisible, magnetic force, the blade's trajectory curved downwards, into the ground.

"…" Muki simply stared the Game Master down.

"… Ah, good show!" The Game Master stepped back and applauded. "You've figured me out, it seems."

"What…?" The girl whispered, still clutching her brother close.

"Well, your friend here is correct; as the Game Master, I cannot directly cause any harm to a Player."

"Then…" My hands clenched into fists, tension ran through the air, as Muki calmly supported his almost-dismembered arm.

"Young lady," the Reaper addressed me, "I never had any intention of harming those little Players over there," he stated matter-of-factly, indicating to the two children with his sword, "I was merely toying with them for a little bit; feinting, and letting them dodge… Believe me, when I say that my blade would never have even scratched them. "

"But… The Big Guy!" The boy shouted angrily. "You hurt _him!_"

"Well, that's a matter of opinion…" He shrugged.

"He's saying," Muki spoke, his voice trembling slightly from the pain in his wound, "that since I jumped in front of the blade, it constitutes as hurting myself… Right?" His last word was directed at the smug swordsman.

"Indeed. But once you stood still, I couldn't attack you without it being entirely my fault-"

"That's stupid!" The boy yelled "You still hurt him! You keep breaking your own rules! You didn't even let us clear the Mission-" the boy's shouts were muffled as the girl clamped a hand over his mouth, hoping not to anger the Reaper further.

"Well, if you read the fine print, you'll find that 'Reapers cannot _attack_ Players'… If I do _this…_" The Game Master thrust his sword towards Muki's face, almost skewering his eye. "… Well, I'm just playing with my beloved blade here… It's rather unfortunate if you think that I was attacking you…" He laughed.

_06:26…  
06:25…  
06:24…_

"… And 'not letting them clear the Mission…?'" Muki motioned to the boy with his head.

"He said that even though we Erased the target," the boy pulled his sister's hand off, "we didn't clear the Mission-"

"Hold it, kid." The Game Master raised his sword and jabbed at the boy. "All I said was that you, "didn't clear the Mission." I never said that you Erased the target-"

_KZZZT!_

Out of nowhere, a black silhouette flew by the Game Master, and obliterated the bat on his shoulder.  
Right on cue, everyone's Timers vanished.

"_Wh-_" Muki flinched in shock.

"Who…!?" I tracked the silhouette's path to my left…

Standing there was a woman of small visage, clad entirely in black. A torn and ragged cloak and scarf hid the majority of her features.  
In a way very reminiscent of the Game Master, she slowly raised her head, allowing me to glimpse her delicate, pale face; a single golden iris stared out from behind her jet-black hair, as her tattered garments fluttered in the wind. "… That was the target, it seems."

"… And you are?" The Game Master smirked, unpeturbed.

The woman drew out an arm wrapped in white bandages, and pulled the scarf over her mouth. "Magokoro Muki, I believe." She addressed my Partner. "… It appears as though the Knight is fooling around…" Muki appeared confused; perhaps there was someone else who was supposed to accompany her…?" So, in his place, I will take charge here. You want to know about CHECKMATE? I am Goumaki Mushin's Bishop… The Black Cat."

Already halfway through the Reapers' Game… But the worst was yet to come.

* * *

_**4th Day – Castle**_

* * *

**Okay, so!**

**People who have read this far should really know by now, but: This story is part of the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community/event/thing.**

**Other people's works are there! Good people! Good works!  
Check them ouuut XD**

**Special mention to Aviantei who is just… **_**Blasting**_** out reviews left and right; we applaud you, Avian d._.b**

**And the Awkward Thumbs-Up.  
Can't forget that.**

**I will attempt to follow her example! I promise!**

**Bye :P**


	7. 5th Day

**Oh myyyy… Week 7, aaand my reviewing is going…**

…

**Ugh.**

_**RIIIGHT!**_

**SO!**

**Late again, but this **_**should**_** be the last time; I promises.  
A friend was moving back to America; had to see her off and stuff d._.b**

**Let's kick it and rip it!**

* * *

**Chapter VII**

The pawn isn't 'unique'.  
The pawn isn't 'useful'.  
The pawn, unlike any other given Piece, is just a follower of the pack, a member of the herd, just cannon fodder, waiting to be gunned down…  
… But as previously discussed: The pawn has the capacity for growth. Once a pawn has reached its journey's end, it undergoes a change… A transformation into its new life.

In this sense, the pawn is stronger than even the queen… A full-fledged pawn can match strength of the queen, dwarfing the bishop and rook… But it can also take on the unpredictable properties of the knight, if need be…

* * *

_**5th Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

"_Take it."_

Rather startled by the familiar female voice, I immediately leapt to my left, away from the White Hood; in doing so, I involuntarily disobeyed her command, releasing the golden staff, rather than 'taking it'. Staring the White Hood down, I developed a sudden urge to hit her with a Psych and run… But that would have been a foolish, foolish move… And so, I opted to talk to her, instead. _Perhaps,_ I thought, _I may be able to glean some answers_. _"… Who…"_ But before I could even start, I had stopped myself, feeling as if I had already asked that question… Had I?

My memory felt distorted.

The White Hood sighed, and looked down at the water-ridden ground of the tunnel, causing a tuft of bright vermillion hair to hang down, revealing itself from within the confines of her cloak… At last, I had something, (albeit, a very miniscule 'something',) that I could associate with this mysterious White Hood's body… Up until this point in time, I had seriously considered the possibility that the White Hood was some form of spectre… Or, of course, a Grim Reaper. _"I didn't take it either, at first… So of course, you wouldn't, I suppose."_ The White Hood's voice sounded strangely resigned, as if, in not taking the staff, I had just caused her to lose some massive wager

_"… What do you mean by that…?"_ My feet shuffled slightly, causing a rough, scraping noise to echo throughout the area.

_"… Can't. It's painful, but…" _She seemed to be struggling; holding her forehead in her palm, she shook her head from side to side. _"… You'll understand… When you reach this point."_

Just as I was forming a new question in my mind, the White Hood's hand moved behind her back, and…

_Fwip…!_

Faster than I could even blink, the White Hood had produced a tall, decorated, deadly-looking scythe, and menacingly planted it next to her. If her aim was to intimidate me, it was certainly effective; a thousand alarm bells went off in my head, as the 'Grim Reaper' theory pulled into the lead. I felt as though I could be bisected instantly, if by chance, the White Hood so wished.

_"This time… You'll take it."_ Her words shook me; she spoke with no malice in her voice, no threat… But her voice carried such sureness, such unrivalled certainty that her words were nothing but truth… And it seemed to me that she was speaking of some hopeless inevitability, rather than a confident prediction… Like a young man looking you in the eyes, and pointing out that one day, you would most definitely… Die.

I had no particular inclination to antagonize the White Hood earlier, though with the appearance of the scythe, I now had the inclination to stay on _very_ good terms with her; I couldn't remember the last time I was so terrified, (even if I had my Entry Fee, I still doubt that I would've remembered anything remotely comparable,) something about that scythe… In touching the Excalibur-staff, I had experienced a strange feeling of 'hope'… But simply _looking_ at that scythe… My vision shimmered, fading like a mirage; I could hear and feel an unpleasant grinding from within my head; the air tasted like ash; my sense of balance had just abandoned ship…

… I… Felt an overwhelming despair from that scythe.

* * *

"… _-shai…!_"_  
_

"-_i-san-… -kku Rame-… -Yotsu-… -shima-…_"

"_-aaaa-… -ire desu ne…_"

"_Ii n-… ga sur-…_"

A familiar salty scent roused me; I felt the 'real world' materializing, as I left the other one behind to fade back into oblivion.  
_Hearing… Functional_. I could hear chattering nearby; a vaguely familiar voice, accompanied by two childrens', and… _Muki…_ I tried to call his name, but all that came out was a rasping breath… I would come back to that later.  
_Olfactory… Operational._ Slowly breathing in, I immediately thought that I must have been in that old noodle restaurant; I could practically _taste_ the ramen… (I briefly wondered how many other people would have used the word 'olfactory' in this context.)  
_Eyes... Working._ I blinked twice, mentally ticking a third, small checkbox scribbled on a little notepad in my mind. I was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, which was riddled with decorations, ranging from old Chinese lanterns to children's drawings to calligraphy samples to… What appeared to be a collection of sketches and notes for some kind of toy. "… 'The Ultima Slammer'…?" My voice, which was now in working order, read a caption before I could tell it do otherwise. "What is the world is that for…"

"_TIN PIN SLAMMER!_" Muki, who had somehow managed to sneak over to my side without me noticing, popped his head up, and yelled dramatically.

"… Some kind of game?" I answered without looking; far too tired to be, or even act, surprised.

"Well… Yeah. Tin Pin Slammer; you can find an app on our phones, if you look hard enough…" He settled down, and scratched the back of his head, looking rather disappointed at my lack of reaction. "… We're still waiting on the Mission, by the way."

"… _We're_ all here, I suppose…?" Turning my head on its side, I could see that the children from yesterday were also present in Ramen Don with us.

"_Ah!_" The boy opened his mouth upon seeing me, and jabbed his sister. "_Oneechan!_" (I cursed fate for forcing me through this again… It appeared as though this shop had some sort of charm on it.) "_Murasaki-san ga okitanda!_" He shouted excitedly, continuing to poke his sister, until she looked over.

"_… Sono toori desu ne…_" She smiled warmly, and hopped off of her stool, before trotting over to me. "… How are you feeling, miss?"

"… 'Miss'…?" (I did my best to ignore the perceptible switch between understanding and not understanding her words.) "You don't have to address me in that manner…" My eyes rolled around in my skull for a moment, the blood, (if I even _had_ blood… Everyone in the UG seemed to bleed static,) rushed through my head, pulling me from the clutches of sleep.

"_Da-ka-ra._" The boy punctuated each syllable with an exaggerated hand and/or head movement "_'Oneesan' janakku te, 'Mu-ra-sa-ki-san' deshou…!_" He stomped, and gave me a fond smile. "How're you feelin', Ms. Vio?"

"Excellent," Muki interjected, applauding the boy, "'Ms. Vio'; that is- I-… We're calling you that, now." He finished dramatically; it seemed as though he was trying a little too hard to lighten the mood…

At the time, I had instantly thought that the events of the day prior had taken a heavier toll on him than immediately apparent…

* * *

**Reaper Side**

The Bishop stared at the group of people assembled before her. _'Magokoro… Muki', hm?_ She considered the injured Player. "… Clever, aren't you?" She addressed Muki, a slight smirk on her face; a rare show of emotion.

"Am I…?" Muki tensed, continuing to hold his arm; he was all but certain that if he released it, the proverbial thread that it hung by would snap, and gravity would claim the limb from him altogether.

"'Check… Mate'?" Katy looked from the Bishop to Muki. "What's… And you're the 'Bishop'…? What is 'Checkmate'?"

"'CHECKMATE', dear Player," the Game Master flipped a hand through his hair, sounding a little like a bored lecturer, "is a group of rag-tag, chaos-causing, troublemaking, havoc-wreaking," the Game Master accompanied each word with a swing through the air, "scruffy-looking, rule-breaking, Banished, excommunicated, dirty, no-good renegade…" The Game Master twirled his one-handed sword around, before pointing it at the Bishop. "… Ex-Reapers." He leered at the Bishop. "… As I understand it, CHECKMATE's goal is to disturb the current Reaper hierarchy, and place their leader in charge of the UnderGround… A rather foolish plan, I would say." He added, a touch of spite in his words.

"Oh, of course…" The Bishop looked the Game Master over, calm and aloof. "… And you would know all about 'foolish plans', wouldn't you, 'Jack the Ripper'?"

"No more than you would, 'Black Cat'." 'Jack' responded evenly; the two of them looked ready to attack at any moment… But while Jack's attention was focused on the Bishop…

_Fwoosh!_

A sudden burst of air startled everyone, as the Player boy let out a war cry. "_Haaah!_" One hand clenched into a fist, and the other raised a Pin with a hand design, up high. The wind blowing through Dogenzaka suddenly became very strong, whipping up a mini-storm around the street; papers rolled around the district, like tumbleweeds in a hot, western gust; the people of the RealGround cried out in surprise hats, scarves, umbrellas and various other loose paraphernalia were blown away as the young Player readied his attack.

_How is he using a Psych outside of a Noise encounter…?!_ Katy, taken aback by the vast climatic changes, had that one thought flit through her head. Before she could ask the question out loud, she remembered something that Muki had told her back during Day 2.

"Pyrokinesis!…_ Ugh…" Katy let her arm drop to her side. "Muki, I can't use my Psychs anymore… Do they have limited uses, perhaps?"  
_

_"Hmm… Yes and no," her Partner replied thoughtfully, "but the reason you can't use _Pyrokinesis_ right _now,_ is because Psychs can only be used during a Noise Erasure…Well…" He stopped momentarily, before flipping his Player Pin like a coin. "… With certain exceptions."_

A current of air wrapped around the boy's arm; even the Bishop seemed mildly surprised, which, for such a stoic character, was the equivalent of anyone else yelling 'What!?'

_From what Muki said, that boy must be using one of the weak, use-anytime Psychs,_ Katy thought quickly, raising her arms to shield her face from any airborne debris, _if that _is_ the case, then… Why is it so…_ Katy stepped back, wondering which Psych it was, that was an exception to the standard 'only-in-battle' Psych regulations… She got her answer.

"_PSYYYCHOKINESIS!_" The boy roared with the force of a hurricane, as he swung his arm downward, crushing the Game Master into the ground.

* * *

**Player Side**

_Unbelievable…_ I stepped backwards, cautious of being caught up in whatever all-powerful Psych that the Player boy had to have been using… The very Earth seemed to shake; the sky seemed to darken as a miniature whirlwind formed around the boy. That's when it occurred to me: How was the boy using a Psych? When fighting the Noise, Players are drawn into the Noise Plane, where there is an ample supply of raw Imagination at one's disposal… But here, in the UnderGround, the number of usable Psychs are significantly lower, even in a city such as Shibuya. _… If he's using a Psych… The only attack Psych I can think of is…!_

"_PSYYYCHOKINESIS!_" The boy's cry tore through the sky; my eardrums vibrated in my head, as he swung his arm downwards, aiming straight at the Game Master…

_BOOM!_

The Reaper had only a split second to utter a tiny, "oh-" before being instantly crushed into the pavement by some invisible force; it was over in the amount of time that it would take to snap your fingers… As if an invisible steamroller had abruptly been dropped on top of him.

The very definition of a 'one-sided fight'.

* * *

"That was… Quite the surprise." I admitted to him as I sat upright. "That attack was rather impressive." Indeed, I felt myself being somewhat cautious of this boy; he could, perhaps, singlehandedly Erase anyone else, if he so chose.

"Yep… You're pretty strong, little dude." Muki laughed, patting him on top of the head, like a father praising a child… Or, better yet, an elder brother praising his younger brother.

"That's right! My noodle soups' flavour _is_ pretty strong!" Ken Doi called from behind the counter; seemingly, he had misheard our conversation. "Good to see that young people can still enjoy old-fashioned noodles! _Gahahahah!_"

"That was nothin'!" He grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Hiro Tetsuyou won't fall so easily to the likes of evil! _Gahahahah!_" As Hiro laughed out loud, I found myself looking at him in a new light: An unruly mass of short, red hair, (likely dyed,) covered his head, (spiking out like a manga character's would,) and a pair of white running shoes ensured that he would be able to move at top speed; a short-sleeved black t-shirt decorated with dynamic, dark green stripes, and a pair of navy-blue shorts showed off his skinny legs; one could not look at this boy, into his strong, rust-coloured eyes, and forget that he was, in fact… Just that.

A boy. Probably no more than 9 years old… As I stared at Hiro Tetsuyou, the horror of his situation began to worm its way back into my mind.

"What do you have to say to that, Koushi?" Muki chuckled.

"You _really_ must be more careful, Hiro…" His Koushi, pulled him into a hug, and gave him a small shake. "He almost… _You_ almost…" She bit her lip, before squeezing him even tighter.

_'Koushi Tetsuyou'… Huh?_ My eyes moved to the little girl holding her brother… Certainly older than Hiro, but she didn't even look 12… An innocent child, wearing a white, frilled dress shirt and matching short skirt and strap-sandals; her glasses were large and round; silver-rimmed, complementing her metallic-grey eyes… Koushi's bob-cut hair was a warm shade of brunette, a rare instance of colour on her person, opposing her clean, bright-white attire. _And now,_ I thought to myself, _I can see that… Perhaps Hiro dyed his hair in an attempt to match his sister's… Very sweet._ The only other accessory that Koushi Tetsuyou possessed was a single, ornate bangle… Thicker than the two that I owned… But undoubtedly crafted with equal skill and passion…

…That bangle would one day belong to me…  
…

"I'm fine, sis…!" Hiro insisted, his face changing shade, due to the circulation, (if we even _had_ circulation,) to his face being cut off. "It doesn't even hurt!" If his arms- no… If any part of his body was not being constricted at the time, I imagine that he would have tapped his stomach… Or something to that effect.

Further memories of yesterday's altercation began to surface…

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_Impossible._ The Bishop recoiled by about a millimetre; the Game Master had just been decimated in one shot by a single Player; a child, at that. _That child could not have unleashed such a Psych… _Psychokinesis_ could not do so much damage just like…_

"_One more!_" Hiro whipped his arm to the right, then to the left. "_PSYCHOKINESIS!_" Hiro's Psych was barely observable; Jack was flung, faster than the eye could see, into the wall behind Hiro.

_CRASH!_

The wall was instantly shattered as Jack's limp form was sent careening through it, and into the convenience store that it had previously housed; the few remaining RG people who had elected to remain outside screamed as the wall, to them, seemed to smash itself open. Luckily, the store in question didn't seem very popular; the only other person inside appeared to be the now-no-doubt-very-disgruntled owner.

"Ah." Hiro let out a single syllable. "… Guess I overdid it-" he started to laugh, as everyone stared at him… But at that precise moment…

_Shunk…!_

There was a flash of silver, and a spurt of static.

Hiro gasped as a sword flew out from the rubble, and headed straight for Koushi; without thinking, Hiro jumped in front, and was impaled through the abdomen; static issued from his wound as his sister was struck speechless, petrified at the scene before her.

"Watch it… Kid…" Jack emerged from beneath a pile of bricks, a cloud of dust swirling around him, his temple bleeding static.

"_Hiro!_" Koushi shrieked, and moved to pull Jack's blade out, however, before she could so much as touch it…

"_Hah!_" Hiro's hand effortlessly yanked the blade out of his own body, with about as much care as you would use when pulling a fork out of a chunk of meat. "… You wanna take me?" He taunted the Game Master, "… Or are you too scared to fight me, instead of attacking sis?" He finished, throwing the blade right back at its owner.

Jack didn't bother to dodge; despite the incredible velocity of his sword, Jack's arm merely swung horizontally, catching it out of the air. The Game Master twirled his blade a few times. "… _Tch!_" For the first time, he appeared irritated. "… Make no mistake, if that 'no attacking Players' rule didn't exist, you'd be dead right now."

"So you're scared, huh?" Hiro shot back in a fittingly childish manner.

"… No matter," Jack exhaled, regaining his composure, "I think, seeing as the Mission's finished, this Day should end right…" As he raised his hand, (it seemed as though he was about to snap his fingers,) the Bishop suddenly moved.

_Swish!_

"_Ugh…!_" The Game Master managed to move his head to the side, avoiding the Bishop's attack from decapitating him; she appeared to have a set of claws over her right hand… Not unlike a Noise's. "You're faster than I remember…!" Jack chuckled, jumping back. The Bishop merely stared at him, and continued her assault.

"Stop her!" Muki yelled, surprising everybody.

"What, you open your mouth for the first time in…" Hiro looked at Muki, confused. "… And _that's_ what you say?"

"But… That's the enemy…!" The girl pointed at the Game Master, trying to reason with Muki.

"I know!" Muki spoke quickly. "But if that woman manages to take out the Game Master, CHECKMATE will…" He stopped, noting that no-one but him knew about CHECKMATE. "… Look, just… Please, trust me!" He insisted, taking out a Cure Drink Psych, and healing himself. "… I'm going, who's coming?"

The girl simply held Hiro, as if to say 'I'm not putting him in danger'.

Hiro looked torn.

And Katy…

…

…

…

"Katy…" Muki looked to his Partner. "Please…" He had never looked at her like this… A look of absolute desperation…

…

…

…

* * *

**Player Side**

I stared again at the Mission Mail in my hand.

**[Bout V: Survive until the Day ends.]**

Shortly after receiving it, there had been an extra message sent only, (I assume,) to us.

**[P.S. With this brief respite, you'll forgive me if I call it even between us.]**

Somehow, when I saw that, I had smiled… A very small smile, but the first real smile I had known in a while… To be honest, part of the reason that I was smiling was the fact that I had wondered if the extra message had been sent to everyone; the thought of a random Player receiving that 'P.S.' was surprisingly amusing… But there were more important matters at hand.

"… I think we should know, Muki," I sat at the counter with my three companions, and looked him straight in the eyes. "What exactly do you know about CHECKMATE? How _long_ have you known about them? And… Why?" I stayed perfectly still, refusing to touch the bowl in front of me, at least, until I had the answers that I was looking for.

"Mzz Beeyo's waiyt, Bekk Gggai." Hiro agreed with a mouthful of noodles, nodding his head.

"We _did_ end up fighting off that lady…" The girl noted before joining Hiro.

"… Alright, you three." Muki sighed. "I'll tell you… And, actually… I need your help." He gave the three of us a very serious look. "… I can't do this alone."

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"… Fine." Katy clenched her hands, and gritted her teeth. "I'll trust you… I may not know exactly what is happening, or _why_ we're about to do this," she pulled three Pins out of her pouch, as the siblings began to protest, "but… I am in your debt; you've saved me more times than I can count, Muki… I can't let you go alone."

With those words, it seemed that Hiro's mind was made up. "… She's right, sis… He's our friend, we can't just leave him!" Gently pulling himself away from his sister, the boy stood up straight. "… I couldn't call myself your 'Hero' if I ran away crying… Right?"

"… If you insist." The girl stood up with the rest of the Players. "… But stay behind me, Hiro… If it gets too dangerous-"

"It won't…!" Katy spoke with a conviction that surprised even herself. "We are not losing this Game…" Her hands trembled with determination. "I won't lose… I _refuse_ to lose…!" At that moment, Katy appeared as a towering, regal figure; majestic and commanding… The kind of person who could rally their forces against the enemy, and lead them to victory. "We are going to win this Game… We are all going to survive, and make it back home, safely… I promise you that." Her voice energized her compatriots, made them feel as though they really could not lose… And so… "_Let's go!_" With that shout, the four Players charged forward.

* * *

**Player Side**

_Swish!_

_Swash!_

The Game Master, 'Jack', and the Black Cat, 'The Bishop', continued to fight as we closed in; blows were traded at speeds my eyes could barely keep up with, and yet none of them ever found their mark.

The Game Master skilfully avoided the dancing, whirling claw of the Black Cat; each time it looked as though the Black Cat would actually land a strike, the Game Master would casually step aside, or twist his body, or move his head… Just… Some slight movement that, while rather simple, was also extremely efficient.

The Black Cat manoeuvred around far more than the Game Master, adding in feints, spins, flips, and somersaults… For each move the Game Master made, the Black Cat made four; her already complex movements were made harder to follow by her garments; her tattered black cloak and loose, white bandage ends swirled and fluttered around her, obscuring her form… Often, she would have moved behind the Game Master before I had even realized it.

Stab… Twist, flip, spin, push, claw… Dodge, slash… duck, charge, step, encircle, strike… Step, slice…

_If we don't intervene, they'll eventually start to damage each other…_

"Okay, plan!" Muki began to fire off instructions. "Engaging a hostile Reaper, even an excommunicated one," he pointed at the Black Cat as we continued to run, "will draw us into the Noise Plane."

"Where we fight Noise, yeah?" Hiro confirmed, as Muki continued to explain.

"This Pin here," Muki pulled out a pure black Pin, "this can temporarily Tune the two Noise Zones into one, hold on to this," he handed me the Pin, "we'll hit 'er with a Fusion, and end it in one swoop!"

"Understood!" The girl gripped Hiro's hand, and pulled out a pure white Pin.

"Wait!" I almost stumble…What was a 'Fusion'?

"Katy," Muki grabbed my hand… And of course, my cheeks flushed yet again… It seemed that I wouldn't acclimatize myself to that any time soon. "A Fusion's a Psych that both Partners use at once," he continued, oblivious to my discomfort, "just channel your Soul into this Pin," Muki held up his own white Pin, "it's just like a normal Psych, your one should be in your pouch… Ready?" In a situation with more time at hand, I might have said 'no'… But luckily, in the spur of the moment, I…

"… Alright, Come on!" I sped up, and the four of us crashed into the Black Cat; the last thing that I saw was the surprised face of the Game Master, before the world disappeared into a vortex of light.

* * *

"_On one…!_" Muki's foot slammed into the ground, propelling him straight towards the Black Cat, who had just begun to recover from the unexpected interruption. "_… One! GO!_" Muki grabbed onto the Black Cat's arm, and swung her around with a surprising strength, and threw her into the air, where Hiro had jumped up.

The Tetsuyou siblings suddenly began to glow with a fierce green incandescence, a chain of photons connecting the two; as the light grew more and more intense, Koushi Tetsuyou and Hiro Tetsuyou each shouted a battle cry, and commenced their assault.

"_Light the way!_"  
"_I'll blow you away!_"

With a swipe of her hand, Koushi caused numerous chains of light to burst from the ground; the chains writhed through the air like a pit of snakes, and ensnared the Black Cat before she had a chance to move.

Hiro darted around the area, so fast that he was blinking in and out of my vision, leaving glowing spheres of energy along a multitude of each chain's links. With that, he leapt high into the air, and raised his hand; his sister did the same.

""_Burst!_"" They shouted in sync, causing the spheres wrapped around the Black Cat to detonate in sequence, instantly consuming her in a massive explosion.

"That's our cue!" Muki shouted from the far end of the street; during the Tetsuyous' attack, Muki had taken advantage of the Black Cat's immobility, and stabbed five stone lances around the area, forming a pentagon around her.

I almost relented… I would have preferred to end this without any casualties, but at that moment, as the smoke cleared, I saw the Black Cat kneeling on the ground; she didn't seem nearly as damaged as I had expected.

_Shiiing…!_

That feeling of completeness had enshrouded me once more; the Light Puck connected me and Magokoro Muki, sharing our energy, and bouncing back and forth… I gripped the black Pin in my left hand, and ripped the white Pin out of my pouch with my right. _Just like he said…_  
This was it.

"_Check and Mate!_"  
"_There's no escape!_"

Muki's lances began to crackle with electricity, before linking themselves to each other with bright, cyan lasers; finally, a single ray began to whirl around the lance formation, faster and faster until it looked like a single, unmoving circle.

The Black Cat was trapped in Muki's pentagram array.

With a flick of his wrist, Muki engulfed the Black Cat in a column of light, burning so bright that she appeared to disintegrate into nothingness… But I knew that wasn't the case.

As the light became too bright , I closed my eyes, and flew forward, plunging into the radiant tower before ; it didn't hurt… Rather, it felt warm… Welcoming.

I opened my eyes. Everything was white. "_You're over…!_" As I rapidly shortened the distance between me and my target, I found myself instinctually channelling all of my Will into the Black Pin… We were going to live.

For the first time, the Black Cat's composure was broken; her golden eyes widened in shock, as my own violet eyes glowed with a fierce drive. The black Pin began to change shape and colour… It elongated, turning golden, and developing carvings, and an intricate filigree running along its length; a spire-like contour formed on the bottom end, whilst a large ring with an 'X' of flat metal inside formed on the other end; the Large ring was decorated with a series of smaller rings, similar to a Japanese shakujou… Three rings in the top space of the X, three on the left, three on the right, and four on the bottom, divided into two pairs by the shaft of my new weapon…

It was _that_ staff.

…

When I came to, I was lying on the ground, and the Black Cat had long since fled.  
Apparently, I had very nearly incapacitated her, though I had passed out after my attack…

…Whatever it was.

* * *

It was… Not quite as paradigm-shattering as I had expected… But it was certainly far more serious that I had hoped.

"When I was in the RG… I could see the Game." Muki had said.

"'See the Game'?" The girl asked.

"Yeah… The UG, I could see Players, Reapers… All of it." Muki had a forlorn look on his face. "Death and destruction everywhere… Every day of my life, I saw things that no-one should _ever_ see in their lifetime…"

"That… Must've been scary." Hiro looked at Muki, a concerned look on his face.

"… Why _could_ you see the UG…?" I asked him; it didn't seem like a thing that could just… Happen.

"Who knows." Muki shrugged. "I hear that 'Soul' is composed of Will and Imagination… The higher your Soul is, the more sensitive you are to… 'Otherworldly things', let's say."

"So, like…" Hiro's face scrunched up in thought. "Psychics and fortune-tellers and stuff… They have a high 'Soul'?"

"Something like that," Muki smiled, although he neglected to mention that the majority of those practitioners were… Likely frauds. "That's probably why _you're_ so strong, Hiro."

"Me? Why…?" Amusingly, Hiro attempted to act as though he was merely curious, but only intellectually, when it was completely obvious that he was in fact ecstatic at being called 'strong'; his face twitched multiple times as he attempted to stop himself from smiling.

"Younger people have higher Imagination," Muki explained, "think about it, children have an unrestricted view on the world; they spend their days pretending to be firemen, or policemen, or superheroes-"

"I don't 'pretend', I _am_ a superhero!" Hiro thumped his chest with a fist. "Right, sis?" He looked to his right, an open-mouthed look of happiness on his face.

"Yes, of course." Koushi beamed back. "You're my hero, Hiro." She giggled.

"On the subject," Muki continued, "as people grow older, their Imagination generally lessens in… 'Force', shall we say. But, their ability to _refine_ their Imagination strengthens."

"… And that's…" Hiro leaned forwards, no doubt waiting for Muki to elaborate. In particular on the word 'refine'.

"Ah… Think of it like… You have raw power… But I have, say… Technique." Muki gestured with his hands, driving the point home. "But back on the subject of CHECKMATE…" Muki shifted in his seat. "… I first heard the name in Udagawa. A man dressed in a black hood; he had kinda scraggly black hair… He was talking to this Persian guy…" Muki seemed uncomfortable; though it brought me no pleasure to see him so distressed… I wanted to hear what he had to say. "Up until this point in my life, I had… Miraculously managed to avoid attracting attention from the UG, but I suppose that… While I was listening to them…" Muki paused; his face turning ill-disposed "I… Guess I looked a little too obvious." He finished , suddenly sounding resigned.

_Did… They discover him…? _The thought crossed my mind, before I realized that it was… unlikely. _No… If they discovered them, then they could have easily killed him… And he's still with all of us._ Of course, I was then unaware about the nature of the Reapers' Game… I didn't realized how wrong I was until later… But more on that, later.

"Anyway," he continued, "all I know is that CHECKMATE is comprised of five members- 'scuse me for a moment," Muki turned away from me, and called out,

"_Doi-san, kami to enpitsu ga arudaro, kashitekureyo!_"

"_Nn, hai, hai!_" Ken Doi's voice called back. "_Chotto mattekure, Magokoro-kun!_" A moment later, he walked over, and handed Muki a paper and pencil.

"_Ah, arigatou na._" The two exchanged a quick smile, before Ken Doi returned to his storeroom.

"And… What is _that_ for?" I watched Muki intently, as he began writing down a number of words; a list of chess pieces."

"CHECKMATE's members… are each assigned to positions following the chess piece ranking system…" He muttered, as his pencil scritch-scratched along the paper, drawing each piece next to a symbol. "I'm not entirely sure how they've done it… But each member of CHECKMATE has adopted the attributes of their respective chess piece; take…," Twirling his pen, Muki tapped the illustration of a Rook Piece accompanied with a sword and shield. "The Rook, Isshin Genkata; he's one of the guy's that I saw talking in Udagawa," he added before continuing, "Inclusive Attack and Absolute Defence; a straightforward soldier," he explained, "Then there's…" He drew a cross over the picture of a Knight Piece next to a feathered wing. "The Knight… As far as I know, the Knight's attribute is Heightened Speed, Agility, and Reflexes; an unpredictable blitz fighter… I'm not sure who that is, though…" He scratched his head. "Anyway, the next one, you've all met, of course…" He indicated the Bishop Piece with a lightning bolt. "The Bishop, name unknown," he glanced over at all of us as he noted that last point, "her attribute is Reinforced Will and Boosted Imagination; perfect for strengthening support-type Psychs, for example… Cure Drink," Muki shrugged, pulling out his own Cure Drink Pin for us to see, "The Queen… She's dangerous," he looked at each of us, emphasizing the point, "naturally, the Queen's attribute is Attribute Assimilation," he drew out a long breath, circling the Queen Piece with his pen, before adding several lines to his diagram; the sword and shield, the wing, and the lightning bolt now all had arrows leading from them to the Queen Piece, "while not quite at the same level as the original attributes, the Queen can switch between utilizing the properties of the Bishop and the Rook… Which brings us to the King." Muki stared at the King Piece on his paper, and drew a question mark next to it. "… His name is Goumaki Mushin… And as for his attribute… I can't imagine what it is, really…" He chuckled, and began writing down a few more words, finishing his list. "It's likely… Very strong… But anyway, here; take a look." Muki held up his completed list; I, along with Hiro and Koushi, began to study it.

_CHECKMATE:  
The King – Goumaki Mushin (__無心__傲真気__)]  
The Queen – [Identity Unknown]  
The Bishop – The 'Black Cat' (__黒猫__)__  
The Knight – [Identity Unknown]  
The Rook – Isshin Genkata (__言騙__一新__)  
The Pawn – [Unknown]_

"Wait…" I cleared my throat, having not spoken for a while. "Who's… The 'Pawn'?"

"Yeah, Big Guy," Hiro cut in, "I thought you said 'five members'."

"I suppose…" Koushi ran a hand through her short hair. "The 'Pawn', like its name suggests, isn't a '_real_' member; the Pawn is being _used_ by CHECKMATE for some reason…?"

"Very good; A+ for you." Muki gave her a solemn smile. "The Pawn is someone that CHECKMATE is manipulating, tricking, someone that, however unknowingly, is being played into somehow aiding CHECKMATE… It must be a Player; the only reason that you would do this is to break the Game from the _inside…_" Muki rubbed his temples, now looking to be thinking very hard. "It would be someone that CHECKMATE's been in contact with… At least from after the Game began… Someone strong; strong enough to… Accidently 'break something important', as it were… If we can figure out _who_ the Pawn is, then the Game becomes that much easier."

"And… That's what you wanted us to help you with?" I asked, attempting to take in all of the information that Muki had just dumped onto us.

"Actually, no… Muki suddenly looked very serious. "… CHECKMATE's aiming to take down the 'Composer'; essentially the… Ruler of Shibuya," he supplied, "The Composer resides past the _Shibuya River._"

"There's a river in Shibuya?!" All of a sudden, Hiro looked very excited; one might think that he had just been told that he was taking an excursion to the zoo.

"Are you… Sure, Mr. Muki?" The girl seemed uncertain.  
"Well, it's not well-known… But it exists." Muki looked at each of us in a determined manner.

I had sat perfectly still for quite a while, now; listening to everything that he had to say, accepting believing everything as true, accepting the reality of the situation, and acting accordingly in a calm, collected manner… But the next thing that he said managed to throw me off-balance.

"I have no doubt that CHECKMATE can break through the defences leading up to the Composer… But if _we_ can get there first, we can cut them off." He proposed, confident as ever.

"… You want us to break into the Composer's territory… Before CHECKMATE can?" Koushi confirmed.

"What's the plan after that, Big Guy?" Hiro lightly banged his hands on the table in anticipation.

"… I'm stronger than I look… And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Muki smiled. "I'm sure this will go exactly according to keikaku- oh, and Katy," Muki turned to me with an odd smile. "'Keikaku' means 'Plan'."

To this Day, I am still not entirely certain of what that smile meant "… Yes, thank you for that." I gave him a withering look, and sighed. _Perhaps I should finally eat… I _am_ running low on energy… Soup-soaked noodles are better than no noodles._ "Thank you very much, Mr. Ken Doi," I bowed, though he could neither see nor hear me, and began to eat, (have I mentioned that Ken Doi didn't ever charge Muki, and by extension, me, _and_ the Tetsuyou siblings for anything that he served us? Because it seemed that he was doing that…)

As I started on my 'Mystic Ramen', Koushi called Muki away from me and Hiro, and began talking… It was then that the possibility occurred to me…

_What if…_ I thought. _What if… _Muki_ is CHECKMATE's Pawn…?_ I slowly stopped eating, and looked over to Muki, who laughed, still conversing about something with Koushi. _'It must be a Player'… 'It would be someone that CHECKMATE's been in contact with'… 'Someone strong'… _Muki seemed to pass on all criteria… And so my worries deepened. _If Muki's plan to break into the Composer's territory was predicted by CHECKMATE… I have to warn him._ My hand moved to push my body up… But I stopped. _… No… What if I'm wrong? What if CHECKMATE wants someone to stop Muki…? Maybe this plan _needs_ to happen…_

What was I supposed to do?

* * *

**Reaper Side**

Magokoro Muki was taken aback; he knew that the elder Tetsuyou was sharp, especially for a 11 year old… And yet, this was beyond his expectations. "I'm sorry… Could you repeat the question?" Muki chuckled, half-amused, half-impressed.  
"Why did you lie to her?" She asked him, unassuming. "She's your Partner; shouldn't she know that you… Didn't meet CHECKMATE like that?" The child stared into Muki's eyes, unwavering. "… It didn't really sound like that 'I see dead people' thing was true either…"

"You're really something, telling that I'm lying from my _face_." Muki laughed, but quickly grew quiet. "… She can't know. It's for her own good." He looked at Katy sadly, then back at his conversational partner. "Sometimes… You need to keep secrets to protect people… Understand?"

"I… I guess." The girl looked at the ground. "I… Suppose that's correct, Mr. Muki… I'm sorry."

"No, please. Don't be." Muki waved his hand, and smiled.

"… But in that case… What's this thing that you can't tell her…?" Koushi pressed, her curiousity getting the better of her. "I promise I won't tell her," she quickly mentioned, "but… I just want to know… If that's okay."

Muki stared at the girl before him for a moment or so, and then laughed a sad, quiet sort of laugh to himself. "… I'm an Angel."

"Wha-a-at…!?" The girl, brought a hand to her mouth, her quiet voice shaking in surprise. "Why-… What do you mean you're an… 'Angel'?"

"… Nothing." Muki said finally, smiling again. "… It was just a bad joke."

* * *

_**5th Day – Promotion**_

* * *

**Oh, my! Plot!  
Actual plot! :D**

**So, I'm about to do the 'obligatory **_**SOSS**_** ad', so if you don't want to read it, I understand XD**

**This story is part of a program called **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**, (if you've read this many chapters and only found out about it now… Where were you **_**looking…?**_**)**

**Essentially, I, along with my prestigious colleagues have been periodically writing chapters on our respective stories for the past 7 Weeks, (wow… 7 Weeks :O) in the attempt to be… Awesome.**

**I believe we are succeeding.**

*****_**UBER FISTPUMP**_*****

**Check out the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community for more goodness!**

**You know you want to.  
-X**

**P.S. I was totally going to have Hiro point out that the Pawn was, "Kind of like Xion in Organization XIII!" XD**

… **I don't know… I might have a Kingdom Hearts crossover done at some point, so… I didn't want to break the fourth wall in regards to it :P**


	8. 6th Day

**Ahah! On time!  
Yeeesss.**

**Well, actually it may not be… "In America."**  
**Not quite sure.**

**So… At the basically-two-third-mark of _Shibuya Operation – Story Storm_… Things are proceeding rather smoothly :3**

**Shout out to Aviantei for her excellent reviewing, even if she… Isn't quite worthy to be an Akise Aru fanboy.**

***Hides***

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

As every Player should know, a Game is not 'over', until it has truly reached its end; when the chance of winning and/or losing has, without a doubt, hit 0%.  
When there is still a possibility to win the Game, no matter how small, the Game is _not_, by any means, over.  
Foolish, arrogant Players who lower their guard just because they think that there's no conceivable way that their opponent could recover from their position… Those Players damn themselves by prematurely proclaiming victory.

It only takes a moment for the tables to turn, and that's why, no matter what your odds are; 10%, 5%, 1%, you can _never_ stop fighting, never stop clawing their way through the blood and bones of those who've failed before you… Never give up.  
If you have _any_ chance, then you must, despite how foolish it may seem, keep walking forward; a 'lower than 1%' chance of winning is _not. Zero._

The balance has yet to shift.

* * *

_**6th Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

_I remember a little more, now…_ It struck me as I lifted my heavy eyelids, waking from reality, into the dream.

_"You finally know."_ The White Hood sighed, her voice echoing through the tunnel.

_"Do I…?"_ My eyes ran across her form; I did, indeed, 'know'… But I wanted to hear _her_ say it. _"And what, exactly… Do I 'know'…?"_

_"Well now… Why don't you tell me?"_ She replied steadily, sounding as though she didn't want me to… Like a woman with an illness, she did not want the doctor to tell her what she already knew… As if not hearing it would make it any better.

_"You're… The one who talks to me whenever I dream."_ I took a moment to put my answer into words… Though it still sounded slightly strange when I did.

_"I'd say that's…"_ She stopped for a moment, just long enough for me to register uncertainty… Her finger twitched. Anxiety? _"… A rather obvious answer."_ Keeping her head lowered, as she always did, the White Hood raised her arm, and moved it slowly through the air from right to left, indicating the 'dream-space' that we were standing in.

_"No…!"_ For the first time, I spoke to the White Hood with a slight amount of force… Defiance, even… Like a daughter, weary of her mother treating her as a child, I stood my ground. _"… _You_ know what I mean…"_ I held my arm parallel to the ground, and pointed straight at her. _ … I was asleep until a moment ago… And at some point, I'll wake up again, for real, this time."  
_

_"… A 'dream within a dream', you say."_ The White Hood smirked. _"By now you're familiar with the experience of opening your eyes, thinking back, and finding that familiar gap in your memory… You just went through it now, as you've pointed out."_ I said nothing… I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I had nothing that I wished to say at this point. _"How many times do you think you'll have to 'wake up', before you forget the first time, do you think?"_ She questioned. _"Each jump makes it a bit more difficult to recall, doesn't it? After all, you only realized that we've been talking outside of this River… Just now, it would seem. Did it _ever_ occur to you,"_ the White Hood shook her head ominously, _"that maybe, just maybe, you've been dreaming for this entire Game?"_ The thought shook me. _"Maybe… You've been asleep for your entire life. What inclination is there to say otherwise?"_

_"… Why… Who are you? _Why_ are you following me? What do all of these… Messages mean?"_ I struggled to keep my voice steady, the oppressive atmosphere of the area weighing me down, crushing my throat.

_"And what messages would-"_

_"_Chess…!_"_ I said it, finally… My frustration was evident in my tone; biting, and harsh. _"You… You always talk about _chess…_ And this was before I knew about CHECKMATE… And now, you're telling me 'not to give up', it's like you _knew_ what was going to-"  
_

_"I didn't." _This time she cut _me_ off._ "She didn't- _you…_ Didn't… _Don't…_ Ugh…"_ Burying her face in her hand, and confusing me with her multiple self-corrections… It sounded as though the White Hood, for the first time since I'd heard her singing in this very tunnel, was losing her composure. _"… None of us knew. I just know what has happened, just as you have, and will continue to."_ At a loss for words, I attempted to read her emotions from her face, but of course, I couldn't even see it.

_"I'm… _We,_ are just following the paths that have already been walked."_

_"… What… What are you talking about…?"_ I stared her down as she moved closer… But then I felt myself begin to awaken, being pulled from the dreamscape, away from the White Hood.

And unexpectedly… She laughed. "_Heh… As much as I've… Enjoyed _our_ company, I'm afraid that this is the last time we will be talking like this. 'The End is nigh', it seems._"

_"What do you…"_ I tried to talk, but my body refused my commands; I white shroud began to creep in from the edges of my vision, and my body began to fade out.

Now right in front of me, the White Hood's face, at least the lower half, was finally visible to me; gazing at the small, fragile-looking nose, soft lips, and the overall delicate facial structure inches away from mine, I was struck with a sudden feeling of déjà vu. My body slowly rose into the air, lifted by invisible skyhooks, like a certain 'Great, Glass Elevator'; even now, my figure faded out of sight; sparkling with an ethereal light, I instinctively reached down to the White Hood, half-expecting her to grab me, and pull me back down to the ground… But she didn't even look up.

_"… It's time. Your Soul should have recalibrated by now"_ To my surprise, the White Hood reached back towards my left hand with her own left hand. _"Fare thee well, 'Katy'…"_ At last, the White Hood lifted her head up, and looked right at me… With her face finally visible to me, I felt my heart skip a beat.

Her skin was of a much lighter tone than mine… As pale as Death itself, and paler than even the Black Cat's, by far… But even then, it was a different kind of pale… Her skin seemed to almost… glow, with a soft light.  
Her hair was no different; again, brighter than my own, auburn hair, the White Hood's bright, flame-like vermillion cut was short; the right side tucked behind her small ear, save for one strand…Which hung stubbornly near her right eye, only slightly kept up by a silver hairclip decorated by carvings…  
My stomach lurched, and my body froze. Her eyes were by far, the most unsettling part of her… A lighter, ghostlier shade of violet greeted me; almost shining, like every other part of her… Minor differences aside, it was, undoubtedly…

"… _Take care not to hurt yourself."_ She grinned in a disturbingly friendly manner. _"After all…"_

It was, undoubtedly… My own face.

"… _That's _my_ body that you're using."_

Right before her hand touched mine, I vanished completely, and everything went white.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

The Angel sat patiently, watching the young lady bolt upright, hyperventilating from the stress of what the Angel thought must have been some kind of nightmare.

"_Ah…! Hah… Hah…_" The young woman placed a hand over her mouth; her skin was flushed, and her eyes were wide; her breathing came in sharp, but steady, gasps.

"… What were you dreaming about, young lady?" The Angel asked, simply; it was in the Angel's nature to act so friendly.

"… I…" She breathed out, but then resumed her panicky breathing. After several seconds, her breathing slowed. "… I… I don't remember." With her free hand, the girl clutched the side of her head, bringing the other off of her mouth, and in front of her face; staring into it, as if it were not her own. "There's… A feeling…" She turned her hand over, continuing to inspect it.

"`… Were your memories _really_ your Entry Fee…?" The Angel's head tilted to the left, considering the girl.

"… What are you saying?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the Angel; her breathing and heart rate having slowed to the norm.  
The Angel merely stared.

Silence.

"… Do I know you…?" She said, finally, not bothering to stand up from the ground.

"Not… Exactly." The Angel smiled. "You might know me as someone else… I run a café, actually." The Angel threw his head back and laughed, as if he had just told the world's funniest joke. The girl was utterly bewildered. "… But nope; we've never met like this."

"How did you know about my Entry Fee?" The girl fired off another question as soon as the previous was answered.  
The Angel's face grew dark; the Angel held up a single black Pin… A white skull emblazoned upon it. "Well, I didn't Scan you, that's for sure."

"You're a Player…?" Her voice sounded uncertain… Players should have a Partner with them. _But then again,_ she looked around the space, quickly, _where's _my_ Partner…?_ "Where… Are we, anyway?" The young woman wondered aloud. Her vision seemed to have a monochrome filter on it; the only colour she could see was on her person, as well as that of the enigmatic figure sitting a few metres away.

"I guess it kinda_ looks_ like the Scramble… But this is the _Imaginary Plane_ within Pork City."  
Now that she thought about it, the young lady realized that the strange person was the _only_ person in the immediate vicinity; the 'Scramble Crossing' was almost certainly an imitation from this 'Imaginary Plane'… Everything was in black and white, and the air was eerily silent; almost like sitting in an old movie reel. Just as she was about to try Scanning, the Angel spoke up.

"Oh, missus," the Angel pointed to the Player Pin, "you're gonna want this back." With a chuckle, the Angel flicked the Pin over to the girl, who caught it with ease.

"You took my Player Pin…?" Slightly more cautious, the girl got to her feet, and took a few steps back, away from the Angel.

"Don't worry," the Angel, still chuckling, also stood, "I really didn't Scan you. Promise." When the girl simply stared, the Angel laughed out loud, hands held up in a conciliatory gesture. "Look, Players can't be Scanned. Your Player Pin protects you from any potential Scanners-"

"But since _you_ had it-"

"_And,_" the Angel threw the girl an amused look, and continued, "that protection will continue to work, no matter _where_ your Pin is. Even when I had it, I couldn't Scan you." To the Angel's chagrin and further amusement, the young woman now looked rather horrified and indignant. "… Even if I had wanted to. Or tried. Which I didn't." The Angel quickly added, clarifying the point.

"… Fine, I'll believe you, but if you'll excuse me," the young lady began to walk towards the 104 Building, "I have to find my Partner."

"… You're taking all of this rather well." The Angel noted; the jovial tone previously present in the Angel's voice had now gone. "If this had happened on Day 1, I think your Soul would've just… Collapsed, don't you?" The question held little meaning to the girl; she hardly even knew what the Angel was talking about. But even so, the statement made her stop in her tracks.

"… I suppose," she answered without looking. "I'm honestly not entirely sure if I'm still dreaming… And whether I am or not, I feel… Different. My body and mind feel like they're on a different wavelength… Something's changed me… Something's been imprinted upon me."

"Or maybe," the Angel laughed, "the Imprinting is disappearing." A wide, triumphant grin spread across the Angel's face, confusing the girl further. "Oh… Don't mind me; just talkin' to myself, here." The Angel waved. "You should probably… Go find your Partner." He finished, still smiling.

"… I will." The girl looked at the odd figure one last time. "Well then… Goodbye." Quickly bowing her head, she bid the Angel farewell, and ran off.

As the girl ran out of earshot, the Angel's smile slowly melted away; now, in its place, was a determined grimace. Pulling out a black Phone, the Angel dialled a few numbers, and waited for the person to pick up.

_Ring…  
Ring…  
Ring…_

_Click_

"_Hello?_" A boy's voice issued from the phone.

"Ah, great, are you all there?" The Angel asked.

"_Yeah… Everyone's here._" The boy replied.

"_We're ready._" A different voice, a girl's, also sounded from the speakers.

"_We gots this, yo!_" Yet another, a low, male voice, joined the others; almost immediately, it was followed by one more: A calm, female voice.

"_Take it easy, everyone; 'the best laid plans of mice and men'__…_"

"Great," the Angel chuckled again, before speaking in a low tone. "Okay, guys… The counterattack begins now."

* * *

"What's happened?!" The King shouted furiously, his fist slamming against the monochrome graffiti wall of the Imaginary Plane's Udagawa.

"Sir… The Producer," the Queen responded with a strong voice, despite obviously being rattled. "… It would seem as though _He_ has locked _us_ out…"

"He reversed the Proximity Lock…!" The King gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist even tighter. "How like Him, to utilize the Imaginary Plane in this fashion… Is the Pawn's Imprinting intact?" He barked, as the Queen ran her hands across the area, her eyes closed in concentration.

"… The… Majority of it has been Erased by the Producer, sir." The Queen rallied her information to the King, whose face twisted into a contorted sneer.

"… 'Majority', huh?" The King, aptly titled, did not lose his cool… Rather… "… What's been Erased completely, and what parts of the Programming are left… And for that matter, how _much_ is left?""

It seemed that the Queen had already thought to figure that out, as she answered right as the King stopped talking. "The Proximity Erase Protocol's base Code has been completely eradicated, sir," she shook her head, "He was very thorough; there is a 0% chance that the sight of the Producer will trigger an attack from the Pawn."

"Go on." The King nodded, his face appeared more or less calm, but it was very easy to tell that he was enraged; his entire frame trembled, threatening to explode at the slightest provocation.

"Of course, the actual Proximity Lock has been rendered inert for the time being. Unlike the incident on Day 3, the Lock has_ not_ been disabled; rather, until the Pawn is out of the Imaginary Plane and the Producer's influence, and/or falls unconscious, the Lock's effects upon you and the Producer are, and will remain, inverted."

"That's fine, I'll simply have to tweak the Code the next chance I get; don't stop." The King snapped his fingers, and pointed at the Queen.

"Next, the Proximity Reset Protocol; also gone, save for several strings…" The Queen ran through a number of 'Protocols' that had also been Erased, before… "Lastly, Proximity Conduct… There's enough of its Code remaining for it to be _somewhat_, useful…"

"_How_ useful?" The King clicked his tongue with the air of a man who did _not_ have time to waste.

"The effects… Should hold until the Pawn is actually _aware_ of them, after which-"

"After which, her Soul will reject the Programming, and the entire Imprinting sequence will be Erased, yes… Rrgh… I did _not_ expect this…" The King stomped at the ground in frustration. "… It was a good move. I was foolish to use Pork City as a stage…"

"So," the Queen continued, undeterred, "in summary, the only intact Protocol is Proximity Lock, though it's currently inverted, and the Proximity Conduct will likely work once before failing, Erasing itself, as well all of the remaining Code."

"We could cut our losses, and use that Proximity Conduct to execute the Composer or the Producer." The Rook, who was leaning on a nearby wall, spoke up. "… That's right, I'm still here, you guys."

"Rook, now is not the time…!" The Queen shot him a disapproving look.

"Though I appreciate your enthusiasm, Rook, if there is one thing that I don't do, it's _resign._" The King ground his teeth together, producing an unpleasant noise.

"But without the Lockout procedure, the entire plan's not gonna work, right?" The Rook pointed out, extremely nonchalant. "I don't like it either, but the fact is that we need to take out _both_ the Composer and the Producer to succeed, _at minimum._" The Rook pushed off of the wall, and walked towards the Queen. "If we use Conduct, we can probably take _one_ of them down, and if we lose the Pawn-"

"_When_ we lose the Pawn. The Angels are _not_ going to tolerate the Erasure of One of their own, even if He _is_ Fallen, and in the event that the Pawn Erases the Composer, it is _highly_ likely that the Pawn will become the new Composer, _by which time_, we will have _no_ influence over Her, _only serving to make our next attempt,_ if we even _get_ another attempt, because believe me, She _will_ hunt us down if She has the tiniest inkling of sense, which she does, indeed, appear to have, _even more difficult!_" The Queen's voice, surprisingly, did not raise itself as much as the Rook had expected, though, as she continued to talk, her words came out faster and faster, until she finished, glaring at the Rook's calm face.

"… Then Erase the Producer; we'll find a new Pawn." The Rook answered, after thinking for about a second.

"No." The King interjected. "She is perfect; as strong as her Soul is, her Imagination is insufficient under Composer standards."

"Wait, really…?" The Rook's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened slightly in shock. "But… How is can she be _that_ strong, if her Imagination's below a Composer's?"

At this, the King merely smirked, and tapped the side of his temple with a finger, as if to say 'think about it'.

"Solution, sir." All of a sudden, the Queen perked up. "With the remaining Code radicals from the Proximity Reset Protocol, the partially Erased radicals of the Proximity Erase Protocol, and the current active string of the main Proximity Lock, it _is_ possible to rebuild Lockout," she spoke quickly, "albeit, with slightly different effects…"

"Name them." The King instantaneously replied, listening intently.

"Their Queen, Promoted Queen, Bishop, Knight, and Rook would be contained in a new kind of Code, but their King would have to be held in a separate container…"

"If that's the only way forward… " The King approved; a grim look on his face.

"Wait, if you're using Reset's parts," the Rook cut in, sounding rather like he was talking about car parts, more than anything else, "then… Wouldn't the main container have… A Soul?"

"Well… Yes." The Queen acknowledged with a displeased look. "It's not the most optimal of plays, but at the very least, the Proximity Erase Protocol's influence would yield a persona without any memories.

"So… You're planning on _creating a Soul_, rather than give up on this Game and try again later…?" The Rook asked incredulously.

"Do it." The King said, unhesitatingly.

"… Really goin' through with this?" The Rook looked at the King.

"A fundamental of Chess is 'adaptation', Rook…" The King smirked. "The Game has changed, and so we must change our play to fit it… Am I not correct?"

* * *

**Player Side**

As I closed in on the 104 Building of the 'Imaginary Plane', the world began to warp; the ground caved beneath me, and I stumbled forward… I touched down easily enough, but when I looked up, I was in another place entirely.

"What in the…" My mind reeled as I cast my gaze around the room.

I was standing in a simple, rectangular hall; no doors, and not even very large… I could cross its width in two bounds, and run its length within a matter of seconds. At the very least, the floors and walls were polished wood; clean, and rather pleasant to look at; the lighting reflected nicely off of the varnished surfaces, at multiple angles; if I wasn't careful, I could easily catch the glare in my eyes. _Was I… What _was_ I doing…?_ That feeling again; the feeling that I had experienced time and time again: Waking up, only to find that my memories were lying _just_ out of reach… Slightly too far to recall, and yet _just_ close enough to know that they _are_, indeed, there; they do exist. I turned my attention back to the room. The most distinguishing feature was the row of elevators; almost impossible to miss, one of the long sides of the rectangular room was lined with three elevator doors…

Feeling compelled to leave the centre for last, (a sudden, strange desire for the dramatic, perhaps,) I pressed the button for the left elevator; the humming of machinery filled the room before the doors slid open with a lovely 'ding'.  
_Nothing unusual there…_ The elevator on the right, however, refused open… And as for the middle…

_Ding!_

"Watch it!"

"_Wah!_" Unbidden, a shriek leapt out of my throat, as Magokoro Muki and the two Tetsuyous tumbled out of the doors, almost bowling me right over; seemingly, the three had decided to cram themselves into the lift all at once.

"_Ah,_" Sprawled over the wooden floor, Hiro looked up at me, and let out a sound of pleasant surprise, "_Murasaki-san da!_"

On reflex, I immediately sighed, staring down at the tangle of limbs and cloth before me. "You _really_ need to stop doing that…" The 'Japanese' now followed me even outside of Ramen Don… Was there no escape?

"Come on, 'Vio', don't be like that…" Muki grinned as he picked himself, and the Tetsuyou siblings, up. "You can call me 'Big Guy', if you like."

"It's not the nickname that I have a… You know what? It's fine." I shook my head, and dropped the issue, although, Hiro's big eyes rapidly ran across my face, looking rather suspicious of me. "… It's not the nickname." I assured the boy, my arms folded in a firm gesture.

"Where _were_ you, anyway?" Muki checked me over, inspecting my face, torso, and arms for any signs of trauma. "We've been lookin' all over for you!"

"I was… In some kind of black-and-white space… I think." It was so quick; so surreal; the transition from that strange monochrome world to this room had been so instantaneous, that I still doubted whether it had happened.

"I think that that's called the 'Imaginary Plane'," Koushi spoke up, "Mr. Muki said that it's something of a parallel world."

"Something like that; don't let it bother you too much." Muki nodded in agreement, seeming slightly impatient.

_Right…_ I thought to myself. _Now I remember… Someone in _that place_ told me as much… What did they look like…?_ As I wracked my brain, trying and trying to evoke the memories that I had lost not ten minutes ago, Muki loudly clapped his hands, shaking me back to reality.

"Okay, okay, now that we've regrouped and all," Muki reached into his hoodie pocket, and tossed something bright towards me… I caught it without blinking, and…

"My phone…?" I asked, my voice containing a trace of astonishment. "Wait, why do _you_ have my phone-"

"Found it; you must have dropped it," he explained, ushering all three of us to the elevator, "but that's not important! We have about 20 Minutes left!" As the Tetsuyous and I cleared the threshold, Muki swiftly hit the 'Up' button inside the lift.

I held up my left palm, and read the words on my phone screen… Sure enough.

_21:17…  
21:16…  
21:15…_

**[Bout VI: Crush the Noise on Pork City. You have 25 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

… _Why do I keep missing these…?_ Groaning slightly, I shook my head, and prepared for battle.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

The wind whistled through the spacious rooftop of Pork City; a natural, peaceful kind of sound; the wind carried with it, an atmosphere of calm, visions of an idyllic morning, an old-fashioned wood cabin, a rocking chair on the porch, a cat swatting lazily at a ball of yarn… All these thoughts, and others, found their way into Katy's head; her idealistic image was instantly shattered, unfortunately… The moment that the young Player moved out of the elevator, onto the roof, she realized that it was already occupied; as her boot made contact with the cold, concrete surface, everyone else stepped forward.

_Step…_

_Step, step, step…_

_Step, step, step, step…_

_Step, step, step…_

Like an assembly of actors, gathering on the stage, the eleven gathered on the rooftop of Pork City Tower walked forward in sync, and then… Everyone stopped.

* * *

**Player Side**

_What… Exactly have I walked into…?_ Was my first thought; I can remember it very vividly, even now.

Indeed, it appeared as though I had intruded into the middle of some kind of altercation… Awaiting Hiro, Koushi, Muki, and myself on the tower's peak, were seven people, split into two groups … Each Facing off against the other.

On one side, there were four teenagers… I almost did a double-take; two of their members, I didn't recall ever seeing before: A tall, blond boy with a white skull design-black beanie, white tank top, and yellow shorts, and a short, blonde girl with a matching, smaller white skull-emblazoned black beanie, orange top, and white shorts; however, the other two…

"It's them…" Muki stroked his chin, eyeing the orange-haired target from Day 3, and the girl that we had Scanned on the same Day.

"… So it would seem…" I was, in particular, interested in the 'ex-Player'; we never _did_ get a chance to converse, and his appearance here was certainly making things that much more intriguing…

As for the other side, the familiar figure there was the Black Cat. I could only assume that…

"It's CHECKMATE…!" Muki told us in a deep, dark manner. Clearly, the entirety of CHECKMATE was not present, considering their numbers. But as for the members present …

Their ranks included the Bishop, the Black Cat herself, of course, as well as a laid-back looking, Middle-Eastern man with a physique somewhere in-between 'lanky', and 'well-built'; light stubble was showing on the man's face; he wore a navy-blue hoodie with artistic, white feather marks… He was likely one of the two that Muki had seen…

_The Rook… Isshin Genkata._ I thought to myself.

Next was a woman who was only little taller than me… her hair was a pale shade of blonde, which been tied into a high-ponytail, reaching as low as her upper-back; dressed in an immaculate white kimono, and an equally-striking hakama… The katana that was strung to her right hip served to further evoke an image of regal dignity.  
Before I could analyse her further, her steel eyes, startlingly, slid to the left, and locked onto me; immediately, I felt the sensation of a pressure weighing down upon me; a projection of her fighting spirit

… This woman was, most definitely… The Queen.

One Day left.

* * *

_**6th Day – Turnover**_

* * *

**Ahah!  
I am leaving you hanging **_**again.**_

**But I have plans, mheheheh… **_**So**_** many plans… This is good.**


	9. 6th Day: Part II

**By all that is holy, I am alive.**

**I must apologize, both for my un-explained absence, and for the fact that I'm going to… Not really explain **_**why**_** I've been gone, for something like… A year?**

**I will say this: I have been hospitalized, busy with work, as well as with personal events and issues, re-hospitalized, stuck in that 'I've been gone for so long, perhaps I should never upload/contact anything/anyone again' mindset, and, well… Look, I've been through a lot; I realize that it's no excuse for this, uh, 'abandonment of duty', but I **_**am**_** back, now.**

**Unfortunately, my life is still very complicated at this point, so, while I no longer have the amount of free time on my hands that I once had, I **_**will**_** be trying to participate from time to time, in any of the **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_** and/or **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** events, both of which I could only be a part of, thanks to Chronic Guardian, who, (along with a certain Akise Aru fangirl,) has been incessantly messaging me, asking about where I was, how I was doing, and when I would return, and I mean that in the best way possible.**

**It's astounding that they hadn't given up on me; it's been so long, and yet, I am, apparently, still worth attempting to contact; that fills me with so many feels, and I am honestly humbled.**

**In any case, I will state the following: I am not saying that I will be able to enter in any kind of weekly prompts; I may, but the odds aren't that great.  
But I won't be dropping out like this, ever again… I hope.**

**With that, I'll direct you to the always-amazing **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_** and **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Communities, and finally, deliver the (perhaps) long awaited final chapters of **_**X Days -Marked-, which has been left on Dropbox, unfinished, for far, far too long, (btw, I lost a few laptops, as well; that was demotivating, (no excuses, self!))**_

**To conclude:  
To CG, Aviantei, and anyone else I have disappointed: I am sorry.  
To anyone and everyone who is, for whatever reason, reading this… It's good to be back.**

_**-Hyoxjnn**_

**P.S. Haven't written in a while! So, uh, if my 'style' seems different…**

**Well, that's why :P**

**P.P.S. I **_**did**_** have the overall plot and ending 'figured out', from the beginning, so it's not like anything's changed; the story will continue and conclude, roughly the same way it would've, had I not decided to swan off, like a spicy tuna roll.**

* * *

**Chapter IX**

The rooftop of Pork City felt something like a warzone to Katy… The air seemed to crack and grind against itself, producing an unpleasant noise that, to her, was like hearing a tree trunk being crushed to splinters; the smell of burnt flesh passed by her, once or twice… Fragmentary shards of discarded Imagination swelled around her, rising up from Pork City Tower, and crashing down upon her with the force of a tsunami, sending a bolt of searing pain through her head…

At that moment… She had remembered.

She remembered something.

* * *

_**6th Day: Part II**_

* * *

**Player Side**

At that moment… I had remembered.

The moment that I had arrived… In this strange city.

Staring at the intimidating figure of the woman, the Reaper that could only be the Queen, A fuzzy vision flashed before me, as a sudden aching sting drove itself into my temples…

* * *

"_I'll be off, then…!" Being the last one to get off, I took the time to smile and thank the bus driver, a somewhat girlish-looking man, before hopping out of the vehicle, into the 'wondrous world of Shibuya'… As it was described by the girl who had sat next to me._

BOOM!

_I had scarcely touched the ground, when a deafening clap of thunder tore across the sky… I jumped, as the first drops of water began to rain down onto my unprotected body.  
_

"_Oh, that won't do…!" The driver chuckled, seeing my unamused, pouting face. "Quickly, if you'd wait in here for a moment…" He called for me to come back, with a wave, before standing, and walking to the back of the bus.  
_

"_Thank you, but…" I scampered back up the steps of the bus, glad that I had only been glanced by about a dozen raindrops; out of nowhere, some higher power had apparently decided to crash my arrival by summoning an unexpected thunderstorm for me to frustrate myself with: A veritable wall of water now stood between me, and Shibuya. "… Where are you going…?" I turned away from the sheet of rain, and watched the man, as he began searching through the now-vacant bus, looking for… Something.  
_

"_Just wait…" He briefly turned back to me, with a very expectant look on his face, which was obscured by a matted mess of platinum blond hair; a single, crisp blue eye was visible beneath the tangle…_

_While the driver's hands flew around the area, under the seats, over the overhead racks, and inside of the various luggage compartments, it struck me that he was dressed rather… 'Unusually', for an everyday bus driver: An extravagant black jacket rested upon his shoulders, over a short-sleeved, buttoned, white dress shirt, that enshrouded his relatively light build; a pair of grey, denim jeans, and white shoes, (Pegaso, perhaps,) made me wonder about his circumstances, 'working as a… Bus driver'… Wouldn't be the first thing that came to mind, if I had seen him on the street._

"_Ah…! Wonderful!" I raised an eyebrow; immediately upon popping open another compartment, he had let out a satisfied sound, before reaching inside._

_His accent: Crisp, if foreign, added another layer of mystery to the driver… _Most_ strangely, possibly, was his gait; he walked like a man slightly intoxicated… Or at the very least, injured in the leg… Likely the reason for the carved, wooden cane that rested behind the driver seat of the bus._

"_We have a winner…! Lucky for you." Chuckling, the man trotted over to me, and produced a flowery, green umbrella.  
_

_More than a little surprised, I held up my hands in front of myself, reluctant to take the umbrella. "Where did you get that…?"  
_

"_Passengers often leave things behind," he shrugged, before motioning around the vehicle's interior, his entire body swaying with every movement, (it was at this point that I considered the likelihood that the man merely _enjoyed_ skipping and prancing everywhere, as opposed to the possible substance and/or injury induced possibilities.)  
_

"_Well, while that's very kind of you," I kept my hands where they were, and shook my head, refusing his offer as politely as I could, "I _certainly_ can't accept it if it belongs to someone else; they could very well come back for it." I pointed out, turning to leave. _Perhaps I won't get _too_ wet if I simply run from shelter to shelter…_  
_

"_She won't," he asserted, stopping me; he twirled the umbrella in front of me, insisting that I take it, "The girl who sat next to you; I know her. It'll take at least a day before she even realizes that it's missing." He laughed, continuing to dangle the umbrella in front of my face.  
_

_"Then… Why don't you return it, if you're acquainted with her?" I suggested, smiling. Raising my left hand, I extended my index finger, and tick-tock-ticked it from side to side in a gesture of disapproval. "… I'm sure that she'd like that." Finished, I began to turn again…_

"_Because you need it now, of course," he indicated the downpour outside with his head, not looking away from me, "I can buy her a new one, if she blames me." He spun the umbrella faster, a little impatient that I hadn't yet taken it, most likely.  
_

"_I wouldn't want you to waste your money on something so easily avoidable, but thank you for-"  
_

"_Nope!" He sang, cutting me off. "As a _gentleman,_" he stressed the word, "I cannot allow you, young lady, to face that deluge unarmed. 'kay?" He finished on an amusingly out-of-character note.  
_

_On the one hand, I really did _not_ want to take that girl's umbrella, but it was clear that the 'gentleman' really did not want _me_ to leave the bus _without_ it. "… Well, how about this?" I smirked, and lowered my hands, placing them on my hips, feeling cheeky. "I'll accept the umbrella, _if_ you agree to meet me tomorrow, and take it back to the girl."  
_

_The gentleman looked rather stunned, as I had expected; maybe he would just drop the issue, if I twisted his arm a little… "…Seriously?" He gave me a quizzical look, and stopped twirling the umbrella. "You want to _borrow_ the umbrella, and then make me return it to her…?" He summed up, his mouth hanging partially open.  
_

"_Something like that, yes." I nodded, enjoying the exchange.  
_

"_And you want to meet up with me tomorrow." He repeated, keeping his tone level.  
_

"_Tomorrow _would_ be nice, if possible." I grinned.  
_

_After a moment's silence, the gentleman tucked the umbrella underneath his arm, and pulled out a pen, and began scribbling something onto a scrap of paper, no longer looking at me. "Look, miss, you have lovely eyes, and all that, but I make it a principle not to date passengers."  
_

"_Wh-!" I stuttered; caught off-guard, I felt my face flush. "I-I never said anything like that!" Flustered, I waved my hands up and down; oblivious, he continued to write on his little piece of paper. "I just wanted to give the umbrella back, that's all!"  
_

"_So… You _don't_ want to go out with me?" He glanced up at me, a cocky expression on his face.  
_

"_N-No! Not at all!" I insisted, still waving my hands.  
_

"_Perhaps we shouldn't meet up tomorrow, then." He looked back down at his paper, scribbling away.  
_

"_Y-… Yes, that sounds fine." My hands slowed, as I began to wonder exactly _what_ he was writing.  
_

"_Well then, would you, perhaps, prefer to return the umbrella personally, rather than meet me tomorrow?" He asked, accentuating the last word with a flick of his pen; he had finished writing.  
_

"_W-W-We don't have to meet!" Feeling my face turn completely red, I shook my head so fast that, in all likelihood, it appeared to him as a blur. "I can return it myself!" The words were out of my mouth before I realized… And then…  
_

"_Great! If you want to return it," his voice shifted upwards in pitch, back to his previous, chipper tone; pushing the umbrella into my hands, the gentleman held up the piece of paper, "you'll need her address; I've written it down here." He indicated with his finger. "Good luck!" With a mischievous chortle, the gentleman dropped the paper on top of the umbrella, and led me off the bus before I realized what was happening. "Whoops, let me get that for you…" Right before we stepped outside, he opened the umbrella, and handed it to me. "You have a good day now, miss." With a final, impish giggle, the man closed the bus doors, leaving me outside, and feeling that I had been quite… Made a fool out of. I was alone, though I _was,_ admittedly, much drier than I would've been if he _hadn't_ tricked me into accepting the umbrella.  
_

_After a moment of self-berating, I let out a long sigh, and checked the note; I didn't mind the errand so much as the fact that I was so easy to manipulate… At least the girl wasn't a _complete_ stranger; the task would have proven far more awkward, if that were the case._

Ssss…

_The rain fell in an endless torrent, assaulting the top of my new, though soon-to-be-returned, umbrella, as I drew my gaze over the gentleman's neat handwriting. "… The Udagawa Back Streets… I think I know where that is…" (I didn't.) "… Hm?" As the paper began to dampen from the moist atmosphere, it became apparent that the gentleman had written something on the back, as well. I turned the note over, and…_

[P.S. I'm free on Sundays :)]

_Furiously, and, somewhat comically, I scrunched the paper into a ball, and flung it away; it played out a bit like a scene out of a manga, actually… Although the dramatic nature of my disposal was somewhat mitigated when I, irritated at myself for littering in a city that I had spent less than 5 minutes in, quickly ran over to the now-drenched wad of paper, and threw it into a nearby bin._

"_Shibuya, huh…?" I spoke to myself, as I made my way through the crowd, to the Udagawa district. "… You're looking to be an interesting experience."_

I have never since, made such an understatement as that.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"Huh…!" The Rook eased up, slightly, noticing the Pawn experience some sort of headache. "Looks like they're here…" He noted, keeping his eyes on the four ex-Players.

"If you only noticed that now, I'm rather afraid for you, Rook." The Queen responded without batting an eye, and walked towards the newcomers.

"Watch it…!" Muki cautioned his teammates, sinking into a battle stance…

"_Yo, yo, yo, Beat to da rescue, yo!_" The blond-haired ex-Player, Daisukenojo 'Beat' Bito, launched himself at the Queen, before being intercepted by the Rook. "Rrgh! Move it, birdman!"

"Beat, watch out!" The shorter blonde, Beat's sister Raimu 'Rhyme' Bito's warning came just in time.

_Swish!_

The Bishop clicked her tongue, having failed to incapacitate her target in one strike… But it was only a minor setback; she would finish him, _and_ his partner in a matter of moments.

"Thanks, Rhyme…!" Beat kicked off of the rooftop, retreating a few steps, as Rhyme ran up to join him.

"Hey, Skulls…" The Rook grinned, a spark in his eye, as golden Noise feathers enshrouded his right arm. "How about we take this to the Noise Plane?"

"Don't be foolish." The Bishop remarked bluntly. "We can easily finish them here."

"'Chess 101: Don't underestimate your opponent'… Or something like that, just ask his majesty when we have a moment." The Rook laughed. "Now, are you gonna share a Puck with me, or what?" He asked, as the Bito siblings began to sync up their energy.

"… Fine, just don't slow me down." And with the Bishop's reply, the four vanished into a void of black and yellow.

"They're… _Ex_-Players, how can they fight…?" Katy gasped out, both confused and worried, but also attempting to take her mind off of the surge of memories that had just resurfaced.

"Someone must have put a Reverse Reaper Decal up here… Those guys are all in the UG, right now…" Muki narrowed his eyes, looking both cautious and… Angered…?

"'Magokoro Muki', was it?" The Queen drew the katana from her waist as she advanced on the group. "You've caused quite a bit of trouble for CHECKMATE… You and your convoluted plans are something that I could honestly do without."

"Oh, I don't doubt it…" Muki returned.

"Then, you'll permit me…" The Queen brandished her blade, now only about ten paces away from Muki. "If I…"

"Muki!" Katy shouted.

But at that moment…

_Swash!_

"What…?" The Queen let out a small sound of surprise, her head only just avoiding a charging slash; the attacker, having completely missed its target, flew right by, before, amusingly, smacking into the elevator doors, and dropping into Hiro's hands, limp.

"Is…" Hiro gaped at the thing in his grasp. "Did a _stuffed pig_ just-"

"_Oooh, come on!_ Really!?" A shrill cry of irritation rang through the air; the five looked to the far side of the rooftop, where the only other two people were. "He's not a _pig,_ okay? He's a _cat!_ And his name's _'Mr. Mew'!_" The girl with the glasses held her forehead in her hands, and started jumping up and down, as everyone stared, uncomprehendingly.

"Seems like it's still a piggy to most people… Sorry, Shiki." Neku chuckled, patting his partner, Shiki Misaki, on the back a few times.

_Boing!_

"_Wah!_" Hiro flinched, as Mr. Mew sprung back to life, shot him a disapproving look, (or at least, what could be _seen_ as a 'disapproving look' from a stuffed toy,) and resumed its attack on the Queen.

"Creative, but…" With a triad of swings, Mr. Mew was neatly cut into seven, uneven pieces; wisps of stuffing were caught by the wind, as Mr. Mew's disarticulated form began to fall…

"_Haaah!_" Neku dashed towards the Queen, as Shiki punched the air, and yelled out.

"_Multiply!_"

Mr. Mew's collective visage glowed with a white light, before each dismembered part morphed into their own, full version of Mr. Mew; on cue, the seven stuffed felines latched onto the Queen, restricting her movement.

"Nngh…?" The Queen, stunned by the sheer peculiarity of the situation, struggled to shake off the feline fighters, but…

"_Shockwave!"_

_Swish!  
Swish!  
Slash!_

_Slash!  
Clang!_

_Swash!_

Neku stopped, having sprinted past the Queen, delivering a single _Shockwave_ Psych to her ensnared body…

_Kzzzt!_

"Ugh!" A medium-sized gash formed on Neku's side, and began emitting static; he turned, keeping his eyes on the Queen.

"A good, strong, Psych… But you'll have to try harder, Neku Sakuraba." The Queen pulled the one remaining Mr. Mew off of her, and discarded it; the others lay at her feet, in pieces.

"… Heh." Neku, having kept a grim expression, suddenly grinned. "Maybe you shouldn't be too confident about yourself, lady…"

_Kzzzt…!_

In a similar fashion to Neku, the Queen's upper leg developed a thin cut "… Hm." Murmuring in displeasure, the Queen, though having sustained a flesh wound, whipped her katana through the air, clearly able to continue fighting.

"Did you see that, Hiro…?!" Koushi's eyes widened, as she pulled her brother close.

"What just…" Katy gripped her head even tighter, not quite believing what she had just seen.

"Yeah… Only just." Hiro's voice shook ever so slightly, as he held his elder sister's hand. "Right before the guy's Psych hit… She cut the piggies off her, deflected the _Shockwave_, _and_ cut him…"

Katy gritted her teeth; her headache was subsiding. _What kind of Reaper is she…!?_

"Neku!" Shiki ran around the Queen, and knelt next to her partner, before pulling out a Pin.

"Don't bother," Muki advised, positioning himself between the two Players, and the Reaper, "Cure Drink's difficult to work outside of the Noise Plane… Focus your Imagination on something else."

"_Well_ then," the swordswoman instantly spoke up, "in the interest of fairness…" The Queen flourished her sword, before raising it high; its tip pointing downwards. "Why don't we continue this over _there?_"

No-one had the chance to ask what she meant; nobody could object… Driving her sword through the stone beneath her, the Queen appeared to rip the very air open, producing a white void that drew everyone but Hiro and Koushi into the Noise Plane, and stranding the Tetsuyous on Pork City's lonely rooftop…

… That was… Until _he_ showed up.

"Greetings!" A voice startled the two kids. "Looks like it's just us three…" It was friendly voice; one that would be used at some… Pleasant tea party, perhaps…

But it was laced with an underlying bloodlust… A predatory savageness that made the Tetsuyous' stomachs turn.

"You are…" Koushi drew in a sharp breath, and ran her eyes over the man.

"It's me, yes!" He laughed, adjusting his jacket to sit straight on his shoulders. "Bet you've all been waiting…" He raised his head; a single crimson iris, sparking with wickedness, managed to gaze out from beneath a mass of pale, tangled hair. "_Knight_, here. Reporting for duty…!" He added, with mischievous cackle.

"Wait… What did you just say?" Feeling a chill run down his back, Hiro tried to comprehend what the newcomer had just said.

_If that man standing before us is truly the Knight…_ Koushi gripped Hiro's tiny hand in her own. _… Things are much worse than we thought._

* * *

**Player Side**

How many times had I been thrown into battle, like this…?

Five times? Six?

Ten?

Twenty?

… Whatever the number, I had, by this point in the Reapers' Game, accustomed myself to the 'regulations' of battle in the Noise Plane; as the Queen locked eyes with me, a predator, ready to strike…

_One: 'A slow Player is a dead Player'; land on your feet, and raise your guard, now…!_ I talked myself into a state of calm, ready for battle.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

The Queen immediately lunged for the nearest target: Katy. Just as the Player's boots made contact with the rooftop, the Queen's blade made contact with her skin…

_Whoosh!_

Katy spun on her heel, and whipped her head out of the way; surviving what would surely have been a fatal blow, albeit with a disturbingly visible graze across her jugular area; now facing away from the master swordswoman, Katy closed her eyes, and concentrated… A Light Puck quickly formed around her frame, before shooting backwards, towards her Partner.

* * *

**Player Side**

_Two… 'A Player uses everything at their disposal'; besides Pins, take note of your surroundings; any number elements in the surrounding environment may be available to use to your advantage…_

* * *

**Reaper Side**

Undeterred, the Queen wheeled to the left; her attack changed from a high stab into a low slash, aiming at her prey's right leg…

_Swish!_

Katy gritted her teeth, and sprung backwards, over the Queen; a good portion of Katy's skirt was left with a gaping hole, as she once again managed to avoid the Queen's strike… At that moment…

"Muki!"

Hearing the Player's cry, the Queen swiftly turned; seeing Muki jumping towards an airborne Katy, his leg swinging towards her in a sweeping kick, the Queen couldn't help but think that he was about to attack his own Partner…

"Alright, _go!_" With that one shout from Muki, the Queen understood.

Katy flipped over in mid-air, landed on Muki's outstretched leg, and kicked off, re-absorbing the Light Puck, and propelling herself towards the Queen, a Pin in hand.

* * *

**Player Side**

_Three… 'A good Player keeps an ace up their sleeve_'_… Meaning…_ I thought to myself, as I hurtled towards the stoic Queen, signalling with my eyes to Muki, as I did so. _… Deception is a legitimate strategy._

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"… Foolish." the Queen raised her blade, ready to cut down the Player flying towards her. "Did you really think that that would work?"

Katy eyed the Queen's weapon, and clenched the Pin tightly in her hand. "_Pyrokinesis!_" Like a roaring dragon, Katy unleashed a torrent of flame, enhanced by the reinforcing power of the Light Puck, sending it spiralling towards the Queen…

_Wssshhh…!_

Without so much as blinking, the Queen had countered; leaping skyward, directly towards Katy, the Queen had swiped at the air with such force, that the flames dispersed around her, vanishing into nothingness. "And now, you're defenceless." The Queen stated, calm as ever, as she flew toward the startled, airborne Player. She raised her weapon, and swung it in a clean, horizontal arc, aiming to decapitate Katy in one fell swoop.

* * *

**Player Side**

_Four…_ I pushed myself to recall upon all of my battle experience; admittedly, it was a small well to draw from, as most of my fights were with simple Noise, but surely… There was more that I could use to my advantage… Unfortunately, the fact that the Light Puck had left me, along with the _Pyrokinesis_ only served to further distract me. _Four, A Player… Wait._ Before I had the chance to form a new tactic, it occurred to me that my flame Psych had been blown away by a swing of the Queen's sword. _Well, that's distressing…_ Unable to manoeuver myself whilst airborne, and not having enough time to Imagine a new Psych, I could only watch, as my opponent's arm coiled back, like a snake waiting to strike…

"And now, you're defenceless."

"_Velocity Crash!_"

_Clang!_

"You…!?" Finally, the Queen's perfect aura of composure cracked; her face twisted, ever-so-slightly, into an expression of disbelief, as Muki shot off of the rooftop, and rocketed past us, blasting her katana clean out of her hand. It spun through the air in an arc, before firmly planting itself in the stone, below, with a resounding _thunk_…

_Now's our chance…!_

"_Magokoro, to the front!_"  
"_Right there, with you!_"

Feeling the familiar, empowering sense of full synchronicity flowing through me-… No, through _us_, our movements became substantially more fluid.

The Queen, undeterred by the loss of her weapon, attempted to break my nose with a swift palm strike; regrettably for her, an attack of that calibre had no chance of even coming close to threatening me, anymore.

Seeing the Queen's palm rushing towards me, I tilted my head to the left, just enough to let her attack pass by me, harmlessly; unlike a few moments ago, where I had thought carefully about my every move, I was now almost moving solely on instinct. It didn't feel like I had actively 'avoided' her attack; more akin to the water in a river, passively flowing around a rock… It felt natural that my head should move out of the way, in fact, to imagine that it wouldn't seemed foolish. Regardless, I wasted no time in returning her assault; as we crashed into each other, I leaned backwards, and utilized her superior momentum to fling her upwards, towards Magokoro, and myself downwards, back to the rooftop.

_CRUNCH!_

I hit the rooftop hard, touching down with my right foot, before slamming my left knee and fist into the rooftop; the concrete cracked beneath me, sending a spider's web of splits and faults running outward from the stone around me. The fissures in the rooftop glowed white; through them, the Scramble Crossing could be seen, as could the Statue of Hachiko, the Udagawa District, Cat Street… The monochrome world of the Imaginary Plane stretched and shimmered; the environment shifting to a different part of Shibuya, every few seconds. Gathering myself, I recalled the last time that I had witnessed a Fusion. _Magokoro used stone lances, Koushi had her light, and Hiro… Well, he seems to manage with brute force…_ High above me, Magokoro reversed direction, mid-air, and hurtled downward.

"_Gaaghk…!_" The Queen let out a strangled cry, as Magokoro viciously slammed his hand into the Queen's throat; his fingers coiled around her neck, as a snake would ensnare its prey, Magokoro continued to accelerate downwards, dragging the Queen along his wake.

Tendril-like streams of light formed around my body, enveloping me in their warmth, and filling me with Magokoro's power…

With a far greater impact than I, the Queen smashed into the rooftop with an unearthly sound; the concrete instantly caved and exploded into rubble.

Magokoro forced the Reaper downwards, powerfully driving her through each of Pork City's floors, before finally coming to a stop at the ground floor; the force of the two combatants uprooted several planks of its polished, wooden surface, kicking up dust, and sending splinters and shards of wood into the air.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_That man… He has no self-restraint…!_ The Queen's entire body convulsed in pain, as she attempted to pull herself from the impact crater, in which she lay. "'Magokoro Muki'… Hah…!" She spat the name out with distain, and coughed. She disliked it, the paper-thin alias that he used; the complete lack of effort that was put into the pseudonym irked her to no end.

This was no trivial matter, the result of this conflict would determine the fate of Shibuya… _No._ The Queen thought about what 'Muki' had said, when he had grabbed her by the throat.

"_Try harder…!"_

_He wants me to 'try harder'…?_ The Queen repeated, finally managing to prise herself from a prone position, into a sitting one. _Unusually vicious of him-_ Suddenly, a chill ran down the Queen's back; the impervious cloud of dust surrounding her was blown away in an instant, as a figure landed in front of her.

Katy's left eye seemed to glow with a malevolent light, leaving a trail of violet behind it, whenever she moved her head. Raising her left arm, she opened her hand, and directed her palm at the Queen; white sparks coursed up and down the limb, as if waiting to be released, like a beast in a cage…

_They're still in Fusion…!_ The Queen grew alarmed, as she struggled to move her body, prepare a Psych, call her sword back to her… Anything.

The energy around Katy's hand began to shine with an otherworldly radiance, as she prepared to eradicate the Reaper immobilized in front of her; Magokoro's overwhelming fury coursed through her, blurring her vision, and making her shake.

"_Burn._"

With that word, Katy prepared to end the Fusion, and expel all of her latent energy onto the Queen; the light grew stronger, and larger; warping in shape, it was no longer a warm, comforting light, it was now harsh, incendiary… But then, it faded away. "_Hah… Hah…_" Katy fell to her knee, and drew in a couple of sharp breaths, holding her side, in pain. A high-pitched, screeching noise wormed its way into her head, paralysing her.

The Queen, not letting the opportunity slip away, re-summoned her sword from the roof, and prepared to finish off the kneeling Player, as Katy was struck by another vision…

* * *

**Player Side**

_The rain refused to let up… A constant, never-ending stream of water splattered against the umbrella, gracing my ears with that familiar, pleasant sound of 'not being drenched'.  
_

I suppose…_ I thought back to the bus driver, who I had recently dubbed 'Mr. Gentleman'. _… It's fortunate that he was so pushy… 'else I certainly would not be this dry…_ Thankfully, my well-made boots kept my feet as dry as my head; walking towards the A-East district, (stopping only to take in the lovely view of a Shibuya's iconic 104 Building,) I decided that it would be best to confirm my surroundings with a local. "Excuse me…!" I timidly called out, approaching a girl with short, bubblegum-pink hair who had just walked out of a nearby noodle restaurant._ That's an... Interesting outfit. _It could have been that she was some sort of cosplayer; I had certainly seen attire more outlandish than hers. In any case, the lady having apparently not heard me, kept walking. "Erm… Excuse me…!" I walked a little faster, and called out a little louder, but to no avail; the girl continued on her way. _… Perhaps she's… Ignoring me…?_ The thought crossed my mind, but I decided to hold off on reaching any conclusions, and instead, ran up beside her, ensuring that she could see me, before speaking once more, "um… Sorry to bother you, but could you please tell me if this is…" I quickly looked around, signifying that I was unsure about where I was. "… The Dogenzaka district…? Am I correct in saying that A-East is-"  
_

"Nanka…_" The girl looked at me with a surprised expression, stopped walking, and pointed at herself. "_… Kimi wa… Atashi no koto ga mieru, ka…?_" Her eyes grew wide, as my own narrowed; could she, possibly, be a foreigner…?  
_

"_Uh…" Uncomfortable, I shuffled around, unable to do anything but stare back at her. "… I'm sorry, do you… Not speak-"_

"_Hey!"_

_A cheerful call caught my attention; turning around, I found myself face-to-face with _another_ girl with pink hair, although this girl's was slightly closer to a light shade of red, than the bright pink of the other girl. _Hair-dyeing is a 'yes' in Shibuya, it seems…_  
_

"_What's up? You need directions or something?" The new girl giggled, and adjusted her pin-decorated cap.  
_

"_Oh, yes, thank you," relieved, I turned, to tell the bubblegum-pink haired girl to disregard me. But… "… Huh?" In the short amount of time that I had looked away, the she had vanished. _… Very peculiar._ Was my exact thought, I believe. "… Did you see her leave?" I asked the new girl, curious.  
_

"_Huh? Ummm…" Glacing behind me, and placing her finger on her chin, the girl considered my question for a few seconds, before… "… Who, exactly?" She answered with another girlish giggle.  
_

"… _Nobody." Despite my burning desire to know where she had disappeared to, and how she had done it, I decided to let the issue rest… For now. "I must apologize, I'm new here; my mind's rather scattered…" I placed my cheek in my hand, and tilted my head to the side… Not entirely lying.  
_

"_Oh, cool!" The girl nodded vigorously with an understanding smile on her face. "Yeah, I totally get that; you _did_ look kinda lost, just standing there, staring off into space like that…"  
_

"…"_  
_

"_Anyway! Directions, right?" She pulled out a pink cell-phone, and scratched the back of her head.  
_

"_Ah, yes, of course. Is that," I pointed behind me, "the correct way to A-East?"  
_

"_That's all?" Laughing yet again, the girl stowed her phone away, "yeah, A-East is just around that corner. Don't worry; you'd have to _try_ to miss it."  
_

"_That's good to hear," I breathed a sigh of relief, and offered my hand, "many thanks."  
_

"_No worries!" Grasping my hand, the girl shook it up and down in an energetic manner. "I'm Eri; if you ever come up with any more super-easy questions like that, I'll be happy to answer them!"  
_

_Smiling, I opened my mouth to introduce myself… To say _my_ name…  
_

… _What would I have said, if I had spoken just a little sooner?  
_

"_Oh!" Eri gasped as her phone went off; giving me a quick, apologetic look, Eri practically ripped it back out, and brought it to her ear. "… Shiki! I'm-… What!?" Reacting rather dramatically, Eri mouthed a remorseful 'sorry, gotta go', to me, before running back towards the 104 Building, gesticulated wildly. "No! I defs didn't forget!… Okay, I _did_ forget, but I'm not gonna be late, okay? … Alright, so I'm a tiny bit late, but…"  
_

"…" _Unsure of what course of action to take, I merely stood there, watching Eri, until she was out of earshot. "… Well." I spoke to myself, finally. "Onwards to Udagawa, then."_

* * *

_After arriving in A-East, I had instantly stopped, confused; I had expected some kind of side lane to the Udagawa Back Streets, though the path continued on, unbroken, to a rather open area… Certainly not 'Back Streets' material. Just then, two men, in a red hoodie, and a black hoodie, respectively, walked out of the Concert Stage. _Perfect._ Seizing the opportunity, I jogged towards them, waving. "Ah… Hello…!"I greeted them as I skidded to a halt; my boots splish-splashing in the rainfall.  
_

"… _You know her, BJ?" The Red Hood looked me over, before talking to his friend.  
_

"_Pffft… Tenho, please." The Black Hood, 'BJ', waved the Red Hood, 'Tenho', off. "I got Yashiro; I don't need any other girl." He chuckled, confident, before turning to me. "… No offense, miss."  
_

"_No, no, it's fine." I smiled, enjoying the diverse range of people that Shibuya had already offered me. "I admire your devotion." I added, grinning.  
_

"_Hah, they're not together or nothin'," Tenho laughed, "he's just had a crush on her for ages."  
_

"_Dude!" BJ shot Tenho an angry look, and quickly turned back to me. "… It's not for 'ages', okay?"  
_

"_Well, now I _really_ admire your devotion!" I laughed along with Tenho for a moment, as BJ sulked.  
_

"… _So, what'd you want, anyway?" Tenho asked, after calming down.  
_

"_Well… I was just wondering…" I indicated the direction that I had come from. "I walked up here from the Scramble Crossing; where's the way to Udagawa…?"  
_

"_Oh, nah… Sorry, girl." The Red Hood pointed towards the Scramble Crossing. "Udagawa's the other way. From the Scramble, you prob'ly should have gone up Centre Street… Definitely not up this way."  
_

"… _Right. Thank you." My posture slumped, slightly, as I lowered my head, staring at my feet.  
_

"_If you want to get _back_ to the Scramble, though," The Black Hood piped up, "keep going in this direction, past the Shibukyu Main Store area; it's faster."  
_

"… _Hm."_

_After a quick word of thanks, I began to walk off… But something stopped me in my tracks._

"_Yo, Tenho!… CAWWF!… Beej! What're you- CAWWF! CAWWF!"  
_

_I heard a rough, cough-riddled voice from behind me, and instinctively turned around.  
_

"_Nothing much." Tenho replied to the newcomer: A man in punk-fashion, with pale, blond hair that was styled into long, slender spikes. "Just giving this tourist a few directions."  
_

"_Well, if you're _done_, let's get back- CAWWF!... Ugh…" The man grimaced, before popping a couple of cough drops out of a small container, and throwing them into his mouth, rather unceremoniously. "… Let's get back to practice!" He instructed, clapping Tenho and BJ on the back, in a gung-ho manner.  
_

"_Oh, that was _you_ playing?" Reflexively, I had asked the question without thinking; from afar, I _had_ heard loud, metal music being played, but I had not given any thought as to who had actually been playing.  
_

"_What, you heard us?" The punk's eyes snapped to me, looking rather fierce.  
_

"_No, no!" Realizing that I may have sounded like I was saying something like 'ugh, that was _you_ playing?'. I quickly waved my free hand from side to side in a bid to calm the punk. "I mean… I _liked_ your music! I was saying 'ooh, lovely! That was _you_ playing?__'" I insisted, being completely honest.  
At this, the man's eyes narrowed. "Huh… Really?"  
_

"_Yes, really!" I insisted. "It was… Charged; energetic. Very… Metal." I finished, slightly unsure of my choice of words.  
_

"… _Rock…!" After a long pause, a small grin formed on the punk's face. "Well guys, I guess we can take a break, then." He nodded slowly, giving his friends a look of approval, before running back into the Concert Stage.  
"… Hah," as soon as the punk had left, Tenho let out a small laugh, "thanks, girl."  
"Hm?" I looked from Tenho, to BJ, and back; seeing my curious expression, the red-hooded man clarified.  
_

"_Our bandmate, 777," he sighed, indicating the now-absent punk with a jerk of his thumb, "he's been ridin' us pretty hard…"  
_

"_We have a concert comin' up; he's kinda edgy." His friend chimed in.  
_

"_Oh, I see…" I fumbled, unsure of how to end the conversation…_ Now the other girl's style of dress makes sense, at least... She has the same kind of accessory that this band has… A fan, maybe? _After, perhaps, a few seconds of thought, I settled on the 'quick, fast break' method. "Well… Best of luck!" I squeaked, before jogging back, towards the Scramble; my boots still kicking water up from the ground, with each step I took._

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"… _Hey, BJ…" Tenho lowered his voice, to a more serious register.  
_

"_What's up?" BJ turned towards him, unsure what to make of his demeanour.  
_

"…_We're all in the UG, right now, yeah?"  
_

"_Uh, well… We…" BJ stopped, realizing what had just happened. "… That chick… Definitely didn't look like a Player…"  
_

_Tenho drew in a slow, shaky breath, and pulled out his cell. "Maybe we should call this in…"_

* * *

**Player Side**

"… That's disappointing."

_Huh…?_ In an instant, I was kicked back into the present, and immediately afterwards, I was, quite literally, kicked back, into Magokoro Muki.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

Driven to her knee, Katy had frozen; her mind appeared to wander elsewhere, if only for the briefest of moments.

The Queen's blade remained poised above Katy's head, ready to dispatch the young girl, at its wielder's will. "… Hmph." With a dissatisfied scowl, the Queen lowered her sword, before addressing the incapacitated girl before her. "… That's disappointing."

Katy seemed to register the swordswoman's words a moment too late, as the Queen's leg struck out, winding her, and sending her flying backwards, into the waiting arms of Magokoro Muki.

"_Whuff!_" Muki grunted, as the force of catching his partner's petite frame drove the air out of his lungs. "Gotcha!"

"Appreciated…" Katy managed to thank him, as she collected her thoughts, and got her breath back.

"… You know, you're heavier than you look." Muki commented, wondering whether he had already made the joke earlier, or not.

"… Appreciated." Katy repeated in the exact same tone, loosening herself from Muki's embrace, and regaining her balance. "Did she just…" Whispering to herself, Katy observed the Queen as she swung her sword a few times, before pointing it at the duo, ready to continue fighting. _She had an opportunity to finish me, there… Didn't she?_

Before Katy could further think it out, Muki spoke up, once more. "Watch it; she's stitched our Zones together; the two of us might physically be in the same area, but _she'll_ be able to retain her full power, rather than halving it, and splitting herself between the two of us."

"Oh… Alright…?" Katy nodded, hesitantly, only now realizing that she was, for the first time, fighting in the same physical space as her Partner. _But… What just…_ Perhaps it wasn't all that important… Maybe she was just overthinking it… But Katy felt a strange idea creeping up her back: It was almost as though the Queen had deliberately spared her…

"So… You want me to 'try harder'… 'Magokoro Muki'?" The Queen focused herself, seeing only Muki and Katy in front of her. "You always were a little too unpredictable, 'Magokoro Muki'. It's no wonder that the Angels cast you out."

"That the… What…?" Katy looked from the Queen, back to her Partner.

"… That's rather harsh, Queenie." Muki chuckled.

"Well, as you've requested…" The Queen exhaled sharply, sending a shockwave of Soul, outward. "I will now, 'try harder'."

"Magokoro…" Katy took his hand into her own, subconsciously, wary of the oncoming assault.

"It's fine…" Muki grinned, reassuring her, "They've had more than enough time to prepare, by now.

"… 'They'?"

"_Go, Mr. Mew!_"  
"_Get her, Piggy!_"

Just as Katy began to wonder about the whereabouts of Neku and Shiki, a flash of light cast itself throughout the battlefield. The gigantic, plush arm of Mr. Mew descended from above, and crushed the Queen where she stood.

* * *

_**6th Day: Part II – EndGame**_

* * *

**You know, I **_**was**_** going to extend this chapter, a bit longer, but I think that I've kept you all waiting long enough… Don't you?**

**Well, I'll try to release the next chapter within, like, a month, but no promises!  
I can't guarantee any kind of frequent updating, unfortunately…**

**I hope you enjoyed this, if even a little bit, and, I know it's a bit late, depending on your time zone, but…**

**Happy New Year, everyone :D  
-Hyoxjnn**

**P.S. The trail that Katy's eye was leaving behind it? Think of the Zone effect from _Kuroko no Basket_, but less like electricity, and more like… thin streams of flame? XD**


	10. 7th Day

**Chapter X - Prelude**

_**Room of Reckoning  
04:02 until Time Zero  
04:01…  
04:00…**_

I have seen a great deal of strangeness in my time.

In fact, from my first moments in the Scramble Crossing… I've seen nothing _but_ strangeness. And as the days flew by, the oddities only increased in number.

'Amnesia'?

'Reaper's Game'?

'CHECKMATE'?

It all seemed so silly. Surely this couldn't be my life; it had to be some nonsensical dream, some kind of fairy tale… Written by another's hand.

And yet… As I knelt beside the body of my Partner, Magokoro Muki, lying motionless upon the harsh, stone floor … I knew that I would have given anything to go back. To let the halcyon days continue on, forever and ever… How content I would have been.

… But all things come to an end.

All things live.

And all things die.

Life is not a fairy tale.

Nobody is guaranteed a 'happy ending', regardless of how much or how little one may deserve it.

None of this is a case of 'good' or 'bad'.

Nor a case of 'righteous' and 'evil'.

It's simply the way that things are.

* * *

_**6th Day: Part III  
Pork City  
21:04:33 until Time Zero  
21:04:32…  
21:04:31…**_

* * *

**Reaper Side**

As it had done countless times before, the air rippled and burst apart, opening a void to the Imaginary Plane. Almost immediately, somebody was forced, backwards, out of the portal.

That somebody was 'Katy'.

"Ow…!" Involuntarily, the young Player let out a grunt as she hit the rooftop; using her shoulder as a lever, the girl utilized her momentum to roll backwards, up onto her feet. "Didn't see _that_ coming…" She had no time to gather herself, however; another figure flew out of the passageway. "Magokoro!" She exclaimed, readying herself to catch her Partner, 'Magokoro Muki'. "Got you- _whuff!_" Katy's reassuring cry was interrupted by Muki's full weight knocking her off of her feet, causing her to once again fall back down. _Hello again, rooftop… Nice to see you, too._ She silently remarked, noting the solid, physical state of the world, compared to that of the unusual place that she had just been.

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Imaginary Plane  
21:04:42 until Time Zero  
21:04:41…  
21:04:40…**_

"_Go, Mr. Mew!_"  
"_Get her, Piggy!_"

The force of Sakuraba and Misaki's Fusion sent out a rippling wave of wind; instinctively, I raised my arm in front of my face. _Did that do it?_ The thought entered my mind just as quickly as it left; a flash of light burst out from beneath Mr. Mew's arm, momentarily blinding me.

_Swash!_

Startled, I felt the sensation of a blade passing through me, as if I had been bisected from shoulder to hip. My hand flew to my torso, but upon examining myself, I found that I was still completely intact. "What was…?" I had no time to understand what had just happened, however; from behind me, a sound caught my attention; like one of fabric tearing. Throwing a glance backwards, I saw that a shimmering gateway had been torn into the wall; an otherworldly passageway that led to…

"Watch out!" Sakuraba's warning brought my focus back to my front.

Just in time, I raised my arms and stopped the Queen's strike from connecting with my face; her katana's pommel buried itself into the back of my left hand with an unbelievable force, pushing me off my centre of gravity. _That's going to leave a mark…!_ With that thought, I was unceremoniously thrown through the tear, out of the Imaginary Plane, and returned to the 'real' Shibuya.

* * *

_**Pork City**_

_**21:04:21 until Time Zero  
21:04:20…  
21:04:19…**_

"Magokoro… If you would kindly get off of me…" I wheezed; he had made some light-hearted comment on my weight, earlier… It seemed far more appropriate that I should say it here.

"Sorry about that…" Magokoro rolled to his right, allowing air to once again enter my lungs. "You alright?" Getting to his feet, he offered a hand to help me get to my own.

Wasting no time, I allowed him to pull me up. "We should get back to the battle…" I trailed off; my eyes flitted back to the portal to the Imaginary Plane, just in time to see it close. "Did she just…?"

"What'd you think she was doin'?" Magokoro grunted, stretching his arms. "Yeah. She just locked us out of the battlefield, so to speak."

"How-… Why would she do such a thing…?" Disbelief ran through me. The possibility had not occurred to me; such a stratagem was beyond the scope of my imagination. 'Actually forcing us to discontinue participation in the fight'… As childish as it was, I found myself thinking that it wasn't very fair of the Queen to do this. As if I had expected an 'honourable' bout. What made me expect _that_, I wonder?

"CHECKMATE doesn't follow the code of the Bushido, Katy," Magokoro stated simply, now nonchalantly cracking his knuckles, "they'll do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, and if that includes cutting the enemy's forces in half…" He paused, and looked around the area. "… Then of course, they'll take that action, without hesitation."

"I… Ugh…!" I berated myself. In truth, it was a totally legitimate plan, and one that we should have anticipated… After all, there was no reason _not_ to separate us… "… Wait…" I changed gears from 'frustrated' to 'uneasy', in a moment. "Magokoro… Why did she do that?"

"Hm?" Magokoro's attention seemed to be elsewhere; he was looking around Pork City's spacious rooftop, as if checking for potential threats. "I already said; it's a better situation for her, if she only has to deal with two opponents, rather than four-"

"No, that's not what I meant…" I rested a finger on my lip, and tilted my head down, thoughtful. "… If she wanted to take the 'more advantageous' route, why didn't she just pull Sakuraba and Misaki into the Imaginary Plane, rather than all of us at once? She could've avoided a four-on-one conflict from the beginning… In fact," another idea crossed my mind, "couldn't the Queen have dealt with us _one_ at a time? Even the Rook and the Bishop had no obligation to fight… 'Beat' and 'Rhyme' on fair terms; if they each took a Player into the Imaginary Plane with them, they would have secured an easy victory for themselves, after all, a Player can only fight with a Partner."

"Don't forget," Magokoro chose this moment to get a word in, stopping my train of thought, "they're _ex_-Players; but even then, you can't pull Partners into separate Planes; their Pact keeps them together."

"Okay, that still doesn't explain why the Queen chose to pull the four of us in with her, rather than dealing with us two at a time; an undeniably lesser task."

"Who knows?" Magokoro shrugged. "She probably thought that she could take us all at once, but changed her mind after she got hit with Neku and Shiki's Fusion-"

"That's another thing, actually…" I spoke again; I didn't mean to be rude or aggressive in any manner… I was mostly thinking out loud; something that I had not done much of, for the majority of the game. "… The Queen _got hit by their Fusion._" I looked back up. "For someone as cautious as the second-in-command of CHECKMATE, it seems odd that she allowed herself to be hit by an attack of that degree… And I don't think she underestimated the four of us, either."

"… They do seem to know these… ex-Players…" Magokoro ceased his calisthenics, and scratched the back of his neck. "But the Queen wouldn't have that good of an idea of how strong _we_ are, right?"

"No, that's not entirely correct," I shook my head, "while this is indeed the first time that we've encountered the Queen, we faced off against the Bishop on Day 4. If you'll recall." I thought back to when the Game Master and the Bishop had duelled each other; neither one had seemed to go beyond testing the other, and yet, they were certainly on an already very high level… "That skirmish ended in her retreat, so I'm sure that the Queen was able to grasp our general level of ability through her subordinate-" I stopped dead in my tracks.

I stopped talking.

I stopped breathing.

All the muscles in my body contracted, forcing my body into a noticeably motionless state.

"Uh… Kate?" Magokoro, having noticed something wrong, waved a hand in front of my face. "You okay there, girl?"

My blood ran cold. The world didn't make sense. Nothing did. Out of all the surprises and twists and turns that the Reaper's Game had provided for me up to this point, this was, by far, the hardest hitting and most unsettling…

"You're… Kinda freakin' me out, Katy." Magokoro chuckled nervously, as my wide eyes stared, unfocused, into the distance. The revelation had hit me.

I knew the Game Master.

I just hadn't made the connection until now.

In fact, he was the one who had suggested that I travel to Shibuya… Not only that, but he was the one who had taken me there.

Yes… Out of all of the places that I had been in my life, it seemed that I had met him in the most unexpected of places.

The bus driver, 'Mr. Gentleman'… He was the ringleader of this nightmarish Reaper's Game.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"Katy, over there!" Muki's alarmed voice rang out; after a bit of effort, he had found what he was looking around for. Katy, meanwhile, wasn't even allowed a moment to process the revelation that had just hit her.

"Uh… What?" Still in shock, it was all that she could do to muster a reply; if not for the urgency in her Partner's voice, it's likely that she would've said nothing at all.

"Against the AC units!" Muki ran off, sprinting past Katy without saying anything else.

"What's…?" Katy reacted sluggishly, taking a second or two to turn around and follow him. Her mind was struggling to contain all of the thoughts racing through it. _The Game Master didn't seem to recognize me on Day 4; did he forget that we'd met? Why was the working as a bus driver? Was he not in the Game at that point in time? He didn't have wings, like other Reapers in the UG-… Wings…! That girl and the three musicians all had Reaper Wings! Were they Reapers, too? But I was in the RG back then, and I could see them… I wasn't in the Game, back then… Right? I can't have been, since people on the bus, and that 'Eri' girl in Dogenzaka could all talk to me… What is going on…?_

Back when the Reaper's Game had first started, Katy's mental state could have been summed up in a few words: 'Unstable'… 'Volatile'… 'Self-Destructive'… Any one of those would be accurate, truly. The loss of one's memories is no trifling matter; to wake up one day, and realize that you don't recall ever going to sleep in the first place… It frightened her. She looked inside herself and saw nothing but an abyss; a vast, empty void where her life should have been, _could_ have been… And when she gazed long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazed back.

What could she do?

She had no idea how to help her fellow Players, she couldn't even help herself. Despite her best efforts, Katy was undoubtedly still being guided, led by the hand, through the Reaper's Game by her Partner, Magokoro Muki. She knew this full well; she had accepted this fact some time back… When, exactly, is uncertain, but what's important is that at a certain point in time, Katy had come to fully trust Magokoro Muki. She had decided that she would keep moving forward with him, no matter what; she didn't have to be the strongest, nor the smartest Player, not the most helpful, nor even the team optimist… Whether or not she had proved to be of little use in the Reaper's Game, Katy was content with trusting in her Partner, believing that he would overcome this twisted Game. Everyone would surely survive; that's all that mattered.

In the end, hope would defeat despair; the four of them would leave this horrible place, and walk on to a better tomorrow… She honestly, truly believed in this idealistic outcome, with all of her heart.

Katy had never considered that a worse outcome could come about.

Maybe she just didn't want to.

That's why the sight of Muki cradling a mangled Koushi Tetsuyou hit her so much harder.

* * *

**Player Side**

_What… This can't…_

…

…

…_  
_Once again, I felt my surroundings slow to a crawl… What was in front of me? I didn't understand.

"… She's still here… She hasn't been Erased, yet."

Who had said that…? It sounded like a man speaking, but his voice was so far away… So far away…

"The Knight must've waited until the rest of us were busy with the other CHECKMATE members… Then he attacked when they were alone."

He sounded concerned… I think. Who was he? Who was this girl? Why was she so…? Where… What was happening…?

"He's the only CHECKMATE member that didn't show up for the battle… _That's_ why the Queen took the four of us on at once: To leave the twins unguarded…!"

The man sounded angry… I think. The girl said nothing. Not that she could, considering…

…

…

…

… _Didn't that girl have a brother?_

With that thought, the world went quiet, and my consciousness fell into the welcoming arms of darkness.

* * *

_**6th Day: Part III – Stalemate  
**__**21:00:00 until Time Zero  
**__**20:59:59…  
**__**20:59:58…**_

* * *

**This chapter's a little anachronic in its storytelling, as you may have noticed… I hope I've done a good job…**

**And, uh, of course I hope that you enjoy it; I've very much enjoyed writing this story, certainly… And so, without any idea of how many people I'm speaking to, I'd like to say…**

'**Thanks for reading'.**

**Also, a warning? This is almost forty-**_**thousand**_** words long.  
Yeah, I know; I need to control myself :P**

**But that's enough from me, so without any further ado, here is the final chapter of **_**X Days -Marked-**_**!**

**P.S. Happy Birthday to Chronic Guardian! Everybody, check out his works; he's a rather skilled fanficcer ;)**

* * *

**Chapter X**

_**Room of Reckoning  
03:45 until Time Zero  
03:44…  
03:43…**_

"M-… Magokoro…" My hands trembled as I brought them to his face.

Ice-cold.

I gritted my teeth; tears stung my eyes, threatening to flow out at any moment. "… Magokoro…!" My voice shook. I had called his name a little louder… But not much. "M-…" I tried a third time, but my throat closed itself up before I could get any words out. The sensation hurt like nothing else that I had encountered in the Reaper's Game.

The horror of waking up alone… The painful burn of a Noise… Even the sight of a bruised and battered Koushi… All of that was incomparable to the aching that I felt in my chest.

_Crick… Crackle…_

As I held Magokoro in my arms, his form began to flicker, slowly disintegrating into static… The sound sent a horrible torrent of emotions raging around my heart, building higher, higher, and higher; rising to a crest… Before finally crashing down, leaving my heart crushed beneath the horrible weight of my own grief.

* * *

_**7th Day**_

* * *

**Player Side**

_Beep, beep_

"_Ugh…!_" A familiar, sharp pain in my left hand roused me from my dreamless slumber. "What… Where am I?" Disoriented as I was, I made the effort to push myself into a sitting position.

"Hey." Magokoro's grim voice welcomed me. "How're you feelin'?"

"I'm…" Reflexively, I had almost answered his question; I decided to hold off for a few seconds longer, just until I could assess the Mission.

**[Bout VII: The Game Master lies past the Station Underpass. Defeat him. You have 300 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

_**Ramen Don  
05:29:48 until Time Zero  
05:29:47…  
05:29:46…**_

_Simple… As always._ I briefly considered the challenge that lay ahead, before checking a nearby wall clock. _About 10:30am… Right._ The clock ticked down, in-sync with the dreaded Timer on my palm.

_04:59:42…  
04:59:41…  
04:59:40…_

_It's almost as though 'Mr. Gentleman' doesn't even care, really…_ "I'm fine; don't worry about me," I spoke rapidly, pushing the phone back into my pouch, "where's Koushi?" I thought back to the last thing that I could remember: Magokoro had noticed the girl on the rooftop; upon closer inspection, it became apparent that she had been in some sort of altercation. Her entire figure covered in marks, bruises, and scuffs of dirt; a mess of red and black contusions on her throat, however, stood out above the rest… As if that wasn't enough, her doll-like clothing was tattered, torn here and there, her hair was all frayed and messy, and her glasses… The lens were badly cracked, and the neat little silver frames were warped; bent out of shape… A stark contrast to her previously immaculate appearance. "Is she alive? How badly was she-… How did we- and where's-"

"Slow _down,_ girl." Magokoro placed one reassuring hand on my shoulder, and clamped another over my mouth. "She's… 'Alive'. Hiro's still with us, too. So just…" He sighed, and slowly inhaled. "Take a deep breath."

"… Mmngh." Reluctantly, I complied, closing my eyes, I breathed in… And out…

"Right… Now," Magokoro continued, "I'm going to tell you about the situation. It is not a good one, by any means; you're going to hafta listen to me, and let me explain. Questions can wait until I'm done. Alright?"

After a moment's thought, I nodded.

"Good. First issue," Magokoro turned his head, and peeked outside, "this is the last Day of the Reaper's Game. In addition to the GM being able to directly attack Players, Harrier Reapers will actively be huntin' down any remaining Players themselves. Given our standing right now, we should be avoiding any form of conflict. Don't draw attention to yourself; we'll stick to crowds if we have to. UG denizens can't tell other UG denizens apart from those in the RG. Got that?"

Again, I nodded. It was a fairly obvious point.

"Next issue: According to the Mission, we _can't_ avoid fightin'; if we don't take the GM down within 5 hours… We'll all be Erased."

'_Erased'…_ A feeling of dread swept through me. We had to defeat that man. No other course of action would save us… Or at least, so I thought.

"Finally…" Magokoro's voice seemed to catch in his throat. Lowering his head, he sighed; thick, long bangs obscured his face, which I could only imagine was twisted into an expression of pain. "… CHECKMATE's got Hiro."

My eyebrows immediately shot up. _Hiro…?_ "Mwemoof…" Stopping myself, I removed Magokoro's hand from my mouth before continuing any further; worry and confusion spread through me as I considered CHECKMATE's actions. "… When you say 'got Hiro', you mean…"

"… That they've taken him; the Knight attacked the twins while the rest of us were in the Imaginary Plane… After neutralizing Koushi, it looks like he knocked Hiro out, and took him… Somewhere." Magokoro shook his head, uncertain. "At the very least, we know that he hasn't been Erased. Partners have a symbiotic relationship; if one's Erased, so's the other. Koushi's still with us, in other words…"

"The Knight…?" I whispered to myself. _The Rook is the Persian man. The Bishop is the Black Cat, and the Queen is the swordswoman. Come to think of it, we haven't once seen the Knight… Have we?_

"Yeah…" Magokoro nodded; he was likely thinking the same thing. "It had to be the Knight. He's the only member of CHECKMATE that didn't show on Pork City. However," Magokoro brought a hand to his forehead and grunted, thoughtful, "from the progression of events yesterday, it would seem that _he_ cleared the Mission for us. I doubt that Koushi and Hiro had the time to do it themselves."

"Oh, that's right…" I turned my left hand over and stared at my palm. "We weren't Erased, were we…? In fact, we fell unconscious right after finding Koushi…"

"For the Knight to be able to find and Erase yesterday's target so quickly… I wonder, could he…?" Magokoro paused. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head; to what end, however, was beyond me. "… No," he dropped his hand and gave me a light smile, "I'm probably overthinking it."

"'Overthinking'?" I repeated. "Are you quite sure?" I raised a singular eyebrow; this was perhaps Magokoro's least impressive moment, for me… Though considering his constant reliability, it wasn't that serious of a thing, anyway. "'Only member of CHECKMATE'? It could easily have been the King, Magokoro."

Magokoro looked surprised. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he was as surprised as _I_ was; it was an odd, simple detail to miss. "Right… I suppose it could've been… Him."

Frowning, I subconsciously raised a finger and waved it left, right, then left again; the movement was clean and rhythmic, like a ticking metronome… It distracted me. _Huh. There's that motion again. _The action that I had witnessed through my own flashback. It felt quite natural. _Too_ natural.

"I guess that I…" Magokoro scratched the back of his neck. "… Assumed that it would be below him… Or somethin' like that."

"So, assuming that CHECKMATE did indeed clear the Mission yesterday. That makes it _twice_ that they've helped us stay alive."

"Yeah. First time being Day 4, right?" The incident that had occurred at the midpoint of the Game; the Bishop had unexpectedly shown herself, and personally engaged the Game Master. I racked my brain for answers, but I could think of nothing; it was difficult to comprehend what CHECKMATE's motives were.

"Look," Magokoro spoke, derailing my train of thought, "I did have a contingency plan for something like this… But at this point, it's kind of our only option." He raised a thumb and pointed behind himself, towards a door behind the counter of Ramen Don. "That's the storeroom; it's pretty large, so I was able to find an out-of-the-way place for Koushi. She's resting right now. We'll talk with her when she wakes up… If that's okay with you. We have plenty of time as it is, and CHECKMATE's not going to have to do anything else to Hiro, now that they've separated him from his Partner."

"Are you absolutely sure…?" Part of me wanted to sprint outside right at that moment… But the other half didn't want Koushi to wake up in some dark room, tired, injured, and alone

Magokoro's next words brought me a little comfort. "I know CHECKMATE… And while they might be 'ruthless', as I've said," Magokoro looked right at me; he wanted me to know that he was being totally honest, "they're also not wasteful; they wouldn't hurt a prisoner, especially a powerless one… And they don't take lives when it's unnecessary. They have nothing to gain from further hurting Hiro at this point." Magokoro's expression turned a little grimmer. "In the case that Hiro was… Erased." First checking to see if I was okay, Magokoro carried on. "… Koushi would disappear as well, and I can still feel her. In fact, if Hiro was hurt at _all_, Koushi would be feeling his pain; her Soul's holding relatively steady."

I nodded; I wanted to confirm Koushi's well-being as soon as possible, but I decided that it wouldn't be the best idea to bother her during her recovery. "And what about… 'Ken Doi'?" I took a moment to think about the eccentric chef's equally-eccentric name.

"He went shopping, I think…?" Magokoro once again peered outside. "He'll be back soon, but he probably won't go into the storeroom; I'll Imprint him to leave, if need be."

"'Imprint'…?" The word struck a chord with me. "What exactly… Is…" At that moment, a collection of hazy memories swam to the surface of my mind. _There was a man in the Imaginary Plane… The empty Scramble Crossing… Was it a dream?_ I struggled to remember… Something about 'Imprinting'. _His face. There was something…_ I looked at Magokoro's own face, still draped in that unkempt hair of his_… Very familiar._ "I've heard that term, before."

Magokoro raised an eyebrow. "Oh." He let out a single syllable, and chuckled. "Is that right? I guess I never needed to teach you about Imprinting, huh? So, then. Where'd you hear it?"

I stayed silent. Truthfully, I was unsure whether that had been a real experience, or whether I had merely imagined it… But either way, it had left a strange, lingering feeling in my heart. "… Not sure." I responded, honestly.

Bemused, Magokoro cocked his head to the side. After a moment's silence, he gave me a comforting smile, "hm." I suppose that he had decided further pressing would yield nothing, as his next action was to stroll over to the counter and take a seat; resting his arms on its polished surface, he simply… Waited.

With my back leaning against an adjacent wall, and my mind thinking up new outcomes for the Game every other second, I closed my eyes and decided to do the same.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"Not to worry…" The King drew out a Black King Piece as the others held up their own Pieces in recognition. "Even without a Promotion on our side, it's still _far_ too early…" Suddenly, Mushin ferociously slammed his Black King Piece onto the White King, knocking it over. "… For a Checkmate."

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"… We have…" Goumaki Mushin released the Black King from his grasp, leaving it standing on the now-cracked surface of his chessboard. "… But a few hours before the Reaper's Game commences tomorrow." The rooms seemed to creak and rumble as the King breathed in… And out… The man displayed an otherworldly pressure that would choke lesser Souls to death, simply by being in his presence. "As you know, the Pawn's Imprinting has only just been completed; hundreds of years of continuous effort from the Queen has made the impossible possible… And we commend her for that."

The Rook grinned lightly, nodding his head in enthusiasm. "That's our Queenie."

The Knight merely smirked and clapped his hands a few times, with a quiet, "bravo, bravo."

The Bishop said nothing at all.

And the Queen herself? She merely closed her eyes and lowered her head by a small amount, bowing to the King. "Not at all, Sir."

"Hm." The King smirked approvingly, before continuing. "As I said, 'hundreds of years'. Such a complex and powerful Code, capable of destroying Shibuya itself, lays within our Pawn. It was only expected that it should take this long." Crossing his legs and resting his chin on a fist, the King appeared to have relaxed to some extent; though he remained a little tense. "Of course, in the Imaginary Plane the rules of the world do not always apply; though we have been here for many millennia," tilting his head back, the King clenched a hand into a fist, cracking his knuckles, "it is likely that the flow of time in the outside world has progressed but a few months. That said…" the King turned his attention to the man with the crimson eye. "Knight. Being our UnderGround scout, would you care to give the others the report that you gave me?"

With a casual, but respectful two-fingered salute, the Knight stepped forward, and waited for the King to finish speaking.

"Yes, I'm sure that they'll find it… Inspiring."

* * *

**Player Side**

"_Irasshai!_ Wait, that's not right…" A shout cut through the long, long silence that Magokoro and I had kept up; more than a little startled, I gasped as my eyes snapped open.

That familiar, overly-enthusiastic voice… _Now who could that be?_

_**Ramen Don  
03:37:16 until Time Zero  
03:37:15…  
03:37:14…**_

Pushing off of the wall, I smiled and walked over to give the new arrival a warm greeting. "Hello, Mr. Ken Doi. It's lovely to see you again."

"Ah, young lady!" Ken Doi exclaimed, clearly surprised. Dropping a bag full of groceries, the excited proprietor grasped both of my shoulders, and proceeded to shake me back and forth… Quite vigourously. "It's been so long! Gahahahah!"

"Iiiit's," my voice wobbled uncontrollably as my head was thrown about like a ragdoll, "been twooo dayssss…!"

"Ah," mercifully, Ken Doi released me, sparing my neck from further injury, "and where would young master Magokoro be?"

"Right here, actually…" Magokoro stood up from the counter, grinning. "Did you just not notice me? You wound me, Mr. Doi!" Magokoro took a moment to give me an amused once-over.

Rubbing my neck, I took a moment to gather myself, and watched Ken Doi pull Magokoro into a bone-crushing embrace.

* * *

An appetizing aroma filled the air as I carefully pulled the lid off; steam billowed outwards and upwards in a great cloud of white before dispersing, leaving the area a little more humid than it was seconds earlier. "Not quite done, yet…" I judged the murky contents inside the pot: A soup of garlic cloves, soy sauce, salt, sugar, miso, chilli powder, and… 'Mystic Stock'.

No, I have no idea. Don't bother asking.

"Hey, Mr. Doi!" Magokoro called out from the counter; his voice's tone was like that of a hungry child's… Though its pitch was considerably deeper. "Are you two done yet? I'm starvin' over here!"

"Hold your horses, kid!" Ken Doi barked back, "this is an art! Can't rush art, right, young lady?"

"R-… Right." I stuttered, quickly giving Magokoro an apologetic look.

Avoiding my gaze, Magokoro grumbled and rubbed his cheek, which was still sore from earlier.

Ken Doi had returned to his store, full of energy; according to him, he was able to get many 'vital ingredients' from a store named 'Mind &amp; Body Foods', due to them restocking his 'secret ingredients'… Or something along those lines. Throwing the ingredients into the kitchen, he had turned to Magokoro and insisted that he teach me to cook, in preparation for… 'Marital duties'… Or some other nonsense.

* * *

"Perfect idea!"

"Gahahahah!"

"What." Without hesitation, I reached for Magokoro's collar and tightly clenched my fist over its fabric. "Excuse me." With a curt nod towards Ken Doi, I dragged a protesting Magokoro outside.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Magokoro shook free and adjusted his hoodie; his face was unassuming… But looking closely, I could see him attempting to stifle his laughter.

"That's my line." I responded in a monotone voice, a light frown set in my brow, and my eyelids half-closed and unamused. "Why are you trying to rope me into a cooking class?" I set my hands on my hips and sighed.

"Look, I know that we have other priorities, being in the middle of a life-and-death situation and all…" Magokoro held up his Timer.

_03:06:24…  
03:06:23…  
03:06:22…_

"… But currently, we're giving Koushi time to recover, so I can explain the plan to her." Magokoro lowered his hand, and shrugged his shoulders.

"What exactly _is_ this plan, if you don't mind me asking?" I inquired, holding up my left hand in a gesture of request.

"I don't like repeating myself," he stated simply, waving me off, "I'll be telling the both of you when Koushi wakes up, so be patient until then, 'kay?"

_Seems like a flimsy excuse, but I suppose I can wait…_

"But my point is," Magokoro gave me a wide grin, like a certain Cheshire Cat's, "we shouldn't be moping around durin' this time; might as well spend it recuperating, yes?"

In spite of his childish manner, he did have a very good point… The Romans were already exhausted before they engaged Hannibal at Trebia; if we were not careful, we could end up walking into battle already half-dead, and perish in a similar fashion. "… Yes, I understand. You're certainly not wrong." Accepting his point, I laid my forehead upon my palm. "… Though, I would've been grateful if you hadn't described me 'learning to cook in preparation for marriage' as a 'perfect idea', Magokoro."

"Aww," Magokoro leant in close, and chuckled," don't tell me I _embarrassed_ you, girl."

"…"

"Or perhaps," cupping a hand over his mouth, Magokoro stifled an overly dramatic gasp, "do you want us to be 'Partners' in _that_ way?"

_Smack!_

* * *

_**Ramen Don  
**__**02:37:32 until Time Zero  
**__**02:37:31…  
**__**02:37:30…**_

"That's that taken care of…" Taking care not to burn myself, I used a tea towel to transfer the large, heavy pot over to an inactive hotplate. "The soup is just about ready, Mr. Ken Doi…!" I called over to the chef, who was busy with his own workstation.

"Ah? Let me have a look…" Within a few strides, he had trotted over to me. Taking a clean ladle, Ken Doi scooped out a small amount of soup and tasted it; his eyes were wide with anticipation.

"Is that… Satisfactory?" I cringed at the thought of wasting so many good ingredients. _Perhaps I should've taken a simpler task…_

"… It's not bad," the older man reassured me with his trademark wide grin, sending relief flooding through me. "It's definitely a little sweeter than I usually make it…"

_Ugh…_

"… But it's a good first try; just keep at it, and you'll be as good as me in no time! Gahahahah!" Roaring with laughter, regardless of whether he was pleased or disappointed, Ken Doi took a vial of soy sauce and set about adjusting my soup.

_Well… I shouldn't expect it to be perfect._ I told myself, thinking about what he had just said.

"… Tell you what." Ken Doi laid the lid back over the pot, and set everything back down on the benchtop. "I wouldn't normally use this in my Mystic Ramen…" (I flinched again,) "… But it's an interesting take on the recipe, so I'll leave it as it is for us. How's that sound?" Ken Doi turned back to me, his perpetual grin still plastered on his face. "Just promise to keep trying. Remember, young miss: The future is a clean slate, and you're the chalk!"

"…That's very kind of you." I smiled, bowing in gratitude.

"Though it doesn't sound like the wisest idea…" Magokoro interjected, suspiciously eyeing the pot.

With some effort, I resisted the urge to throw it at him.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"Is that right…?" The Queen's facial expression changed, almost imperceptibly.

"Whoa, are you serious…?" The Rook cocked an eyebrow; the news sounded a little too good to be true.

The Bishop shifted around in the darkness; her form a little more visible. "So the Game Master is…"

"Indeed." The Knight responded pre-emptively. "As everyone knows-… Well…" The Knight stared at the Rook for a brief moment, before turning back to the group as a whole. "… As is _common knowledge_…"

"Hey, what was that look?" The Rook interrupted, incredulous.

"He's calling you an idiot." The Bishop clarified.

"Don't allow yourself to be provoked so easily, Rook." The Queen sighed.

"… The Game Master is given full power over the Missions in the Game, as well as the placement of Walls, the positioning of Reapers, et cetera, et cetera." The Knight waved his hands around in the air to illustrate his point. "For the Boss to be able to execute his marvellous plan with maximum efficiency, the Game Master would need to be manipulated to suit our needs… Or at the very least, be insipidly predictable.

"Could you explain to me exactly how _Jack the Ripper_ got picked as GM?" The Rook questioned the Knight's report, somewhat unconvinced.

"He has been in the Reaper ranks for quite some time, now," the Queen acknowledged, "the current Conductor has no reason _not_ to elect him."

"Even if he's, uh, completely insane?" The Rook threw his arms up.

"Play nice, Rook." The Knight closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly.

"That guy's the most unpredictable Reaper there is, and you really think that the Conductor just straight-up chose him to be next Week's GM?" The Rook addressed the Queen, certain that she shared at least some of his apprehension regarding the Knight's report.

"You're blowing this out of proportion, Rook." The Queen turned to the Knight, her stoic expression unchanging. "The Knight says that he was chosen as Game Master; we have no reason to doubt him." (The Knight inclined his head, and gave the Queen a pleased 'thank you'.) "In any case, 'Jack the Ripper' is the best choice that we could of hoped for; with this, it should be a relatively simpler task to remain undetected by the Composer… Though, by no means will it be an easy one. Exercise caution at all times." The Queen cast her gaze around the room, addressing the three members beneath her.

"Do not forget, Rook," the King, who had remained silent during the exchange, finally stepped in, "the Bishop has been aiding the Knight with her Soul Revel… The potential of her gift is not to be underestimated."

Hearing this, the Rook grew quiet, knowing that the Bishop's 'ability' was amongst CHECKMATE's most versatile.

"Furthermore, the current Conductor is a nobody." The King grit his teeth, unimpressed. "He is but a mere temporary stand-in for the Composer's old favourite, Megumi Kitaniji. That man was a true Conductor, worthy of his title. But as for the one who has taken his place…" The King shifted in his seat again, returning to a more formal position. "… He's not even worth remembering."

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Ramen Don  
**__**02:08:17 until Time Zero  
02:08:16…  
02:08:15…**_

_Click, clack, click, clack_

"Well, well. You're rather good at this, aren't you?" Ken Doi noted as he watched me slice and dice the variety of ingredients that he had given me.

Magokoro sulked in the corner, unable to help in the kitchen due to being, in Ken Doi's words, 'more than a little clumsy'.

With one hand, I slowly pushed the ingredient to the left; with the other, I held my knife. An automated guillotine on the cutting board, it rose and fell to a constant tempo, slicing its victims into diabolically uniform, delicious, bite-sized pieces…

* * *

"'Ginger', 'English Spinach', 'Green Spring Onions'," I quietly read out the names of different items as my eyes flitted up and down the 'to-cut' list that Ken Doi had given me, "'Curious Mushrooms', 'Cordyceps', 'Swallow's Nest'…" I raised an eyebrow, but kept reading, "'Ginseng', 'Choice Meat', 'Sweet, Sweet Onions'…? Mr. Ken Doi…" I requested his attention, my voice laced with apprehension.

"_Hai?_" He responded, instantly.

"Some of these ingredients… I feel that I need to ask about them. And in addition," I picked up a different list from the workbench: A recipe that was titled 'MYSTIC RAMEN. NOT-SECRET RECIPE. GA HA HA', "you've listed something called 'Mystery Liquid' here, and I'm just…" I looked at the list, then back to the chef. "… This _is_ what you served us last time, yes?"

"Well," (really, he already looked proud of himself; only one word into his sentence,) "that there recipe won't tell you everything; I'll add the secret ingredients myself, after you're done." He shook his head, as if to say 'need to keep the secret a secret'.

I was now more than slightly worried about what I had ingested a few days prior… Particularly the 'Mystery Liquid'; it was a vial of fluorescent neon liquid that appeared to radiate a strange, pulsing light… Not something I'd readily drink.

"But in a nutshell, that's it, young lady!" Ken Doi beamed, and left me standing with the anomalous lists in my hands.

"… And could you please tell me why we're putting, um…" I squinted, to make doubly sure that I wasn't misreading the type before my eyes. "… 'HP Tablets' into the ramen…?"

* * *

"… Beginner's luck, perhaps." I deflected the compliment, feeling I didn't deserve that much praise for 'cutting'. _It's certainly easier than making the soup._ I took a moment to think out loud as I reached for my knife's next target…

"No, no, I can see it!" Ken Doi asserted, rapidly nodding his head up and down. "You have a great sense of rhythm; are you by chance a musician, young lady?"

As soon as he said that, I stopped. "… Musician?" I echoed. I hadn't really thought about my occupation before I had entered the Reaper's Game, nor had I thought about my hobbies, my likes and dislikes… I didn't really have the _time_ to think about those things. "… Why do you say that, Mr. Ken Doi?" I avoided answering, and resumed the task at hand.

"Like I said, you're very rhythmic!" Gesticulating wildly, he flicked off the stovetop that he had been using, and turned his full attention to me. "And you know… I don't see many left-handed people around here."

Unexpectedly, I felt a rush of insecurity run through me; before I knew it, I was saying something on instinct. "I prefer that people don't know I'm left-handed; it makes me stand out." _… Huh? Did I just say that?_

"Ahh, you don't like attention, miss?" Ken Doi asked me. "Well, I'm sure that you get a lot of second looks on the street, thanks to those eyes of yours." His comment was accompanied with his own gruff laughter… But as for me, I was on a sort of 'autopilot'.

"That's why I don't tell people that I'm left-handed. I already stick out enough as it is." Again, I had spoken without thinking; I couldn't remember ever saying or thinking anything to this effect… But somehow, I could feel that it was a sentiment that held true: Being left-handed wasn't something that I advertised. _I 'don't like attention'…? Involuntary thoughts and reflexive actions have been showing me more and more of myself than I ever knew…_ Raising my left finger, I replicated the metronome-like gesture that I had shown Magokoro. _This. I remember doing this to the bus driver, Mr. Gentleman… The Game Master._ Recalling my first encounter with him, my mind began to wander… And that's when I felt it.

"Katy." Magokoro notified me, but I had already noticed.

Casting a look of acknowledgement in his direction, I nodded… _Koushi's awake._

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"In any case, that's enough on the Game Master." The King twisted his head from side-to-side, crick-cracking noises emitted from his neck, and reverberated throughout the room. "I am adequately convinced that we will be able to manipulate the events of the upcoming Game… Though, as the Queen said, we must take care to not reveal ourselves while doing so." Having said that, the King turned back to the Knight, who was standing stock still. Patient. "Knight, you have done well to deliver this information to us; your skill at avoiding detection deserves commendation… Even if you have been aided by the Bishop." The King added, throwing his fellow comrade a knowing smirk.

"Heh. Thanks, Boss." The Knight smiled before stepping back, no longer the focus of attention.

"Now… Our finalized strategy." The King's hands tightened around the ornate, carved rests of his throne, clenching them so tight that they threatened to crumble to dust. "If we are to fail, the odds of us receiving another chance will be… Next to nothing." Rising to his feet, the King raised his arms in a show of grandeur. "That is why I am counting on each and every one of you to deliver us a perfect victory. Knight," he affirmed with a stern nod, "your part is clear. Queen, without you we would not have the 'weapon' that we now have at our disposal, but I hope that I can now count on you to… Keep our pursuers at bay, if any should happen upon us."

The Queen did as she always did, and gave the man a curt, formal nod; she was a woman of duty, not one to linger on compliments, praises or any other similarly trivial, unnecessary nonsense.

"And you, Bishop…"

As the King turned to face her, the Bishop's ears twitched below her long hair; she gave no indication that she had heard her commander, and simply waited for him to continue.

"… During these hundreds of years, you and your Soul Revel have been critical in ensuring the Knight's success, but when the Game commences tomorrow…" The King raised up a hand, and clenched it into a fist; as if trying to crush the air in front of him. "… I want you to extend its influence across the whole of Shibuya!"

Now, there was a surprise. Only a request as unreasonable as that could have thrown the Bishop off-guard. "… You want me to cast my Revel over the entire city at once?" The Bishop spoke quietly.

"Can your Soul not handle the strain?" The King questioned, his voice lacking any malice or mockery.

"… Wouldn't know." The Bishop had never considered using her fickle 'ability' on such a large scale before; its nature was far too risky for that. In the long, long time that she had protected the Knight with it, it was a miracle that it had never turned against her. "But if by chance it fails-."

"It won't." The King's jet-black eyes stared straight into the Bishop's own golden eyes. "… I have faith in you, Bishop."

_It'll take a bit more than 'faith' to avoid the backlash of my Bad Time Revel…_ The Bishop thought to herself, choosing to keep her observations to herself; typical of her. _I've never seen my Revel go berserk on such a magnitude before. But considering what happened to me…_ The Bishop cast her eyes downward, beneath her cloak, and examined her bandage-clad body… _It could very well reduce Shibuya to a city of bloody corpses._

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Ramen Don  
02:05:43 until Time Zero  
02:05:42…  
02:05:41…**_

"_That's it!_" Ken Doi screamed to the heavens; his voice boomed throughout the kitchen and out of the building.

A young couple on the street stopped and stared.

I clutched at my chest and caught my breath; I was so startled that I had almost knocked over half of the equipment on the kitchen counter. "Wh-…" I took a moment to allow my heart to calm itself. "… Did you figure something out, Mr. Ken Doi?" I took another moment, this time to look over at Magokoro. He didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"Both of you, don't move! I have a great idea to improve on the noodles!" Without waiting for an answer, Ken Doi raced out of Ramen Don; his laughter faded into the distance as he sped down the street. "_Gaaahahahah!_"

"Let's go." Magokoro stood up, motioning for me to follow.

"Was that you?" I asked, still in shock.

"Yeah. Now that Koushi's awake, he had to leave." Magokoro quickly explained, making his way towards the storeroom door.

"Is that what Imprinting can do…?" I continued to ask him questions as I made to join him in the storeroom.

"Yes and no," Magokoro opened the door, waving his hand at me, "come on, after you."

"Oh… Thank you." I stepped through the doorway, realizing that the 'storeroom' was far more spacious than I had anticipated… As well as far, _far,_ darker.

"Imprinting sends an idea into someone's mind as a subconscious suggestion," Magokoro elaborated as he closed the door behind him, and walked up beside me, "but it's not like you can 'force' someone to do something that they don't want to. Watch your head, by the way."

The warning came too late; my temple collided with a cardboard box protruding for a nearby shelf. "Ow…!" I stopped walking and pushed the box further in, so as to prevent any future mishaps. "This is quite the storeroom," I mused as I caught up with Magokoro. "It's more of a warehouse, really…" It was true. Boxes upon boxes were stacked on top of each other; shelves full of other unidentifiable paraphernalia formed a veritable maze through which to navigate.

"Turn left here; be careful not to trip."

"Whoa…!" This time, I was more fortunate; with Magokoro's advice, I skipped over a bundle of cable ties on the floor, avoiding what could have been a nasty fall. "Isn't there a light switch in here?"

"Didn't really check… Left, again." Using his hands to guide himself along the various shelves and boxes, Magokoro squeezed through a narrow gap."

"So… Ken Doi." I circled back to the subject of Imprinting as I sidled through the opening that Magokoro had used. "He did all of that because you 'suggested' it to him?"

"Well, like I said: It's a suggestion; you can't force someone to do something that they don't want to, but if one is already inclined to make a certain decision, or in a scattered state of mind…" He paused, noticing that I couldn't quite make it through. "… Well, that's when Imprinting works best." He finished, pointing downwards, indicating my skirt.

Following the imaginary line that extended from his finger, I realized that my skirt had snagged onto some sort of plastic toy. "How troublesome…" I sighed, carefully working myself free. "How far in did you place her…?"

"Just around here…" Magokoro dusted me off, and inclined his head to a nearby corner. "Made her a little bed from some bags of rice; didn't want Mr. Doi to be able to walk in and spot her right away."

"Of course." I agreed, trailing behind him. "… Still." Once again, I backtracked to the subject of Imprinting; it seemed a fascinating, if potentially malevolent ability. "Ken Doi was quite worked up. I would've thought that he had the idea himself, if you hadn't acted so calmly."

"Hm," Magokoro gave me a warm smile, like a teacher proud of his student, "and now you've arrived at the crux of it." Changing his pace, Magokoro manoeuvred behind me; taking hold of my shoulders, he steered me through a particularly cluttered section. "See, Ken Doi already had an undying passion for his craft; though he doesn't particularly enjoy resorting to gimmicks to please customers, he's certainly always looking for ways to improve his dishes… Duck through here."

_There are so many things in here… Most of it, I wouldn't have expected._ I thought, captivated by the sheer number and variety of paraphernalia in the storeroom.

"So you see, he already _wanted_ to add something, anything, to make his Mystic Ramen that much better… I simply offered him the chance to do just that." Magokoro released me, and patted my back; we had made it through most of the debris. "Passion and apathy, determination and desperation, love and hatred. When a human's state of mind is at an 'extreme' point… It's child's play to manipulate them." Magokoro concluded his explanation, flicking his Player Pin high into the air, drawing my attention to it. "As an example: The spider on your back."

"Spi-…?" I almost fell for the bluff, but looking at his eyes, it was clear that he was lying. "… I'm not _that_ afraid of bugs, Magokoro." _Though now that he brings it up, there probably _are_ some spiders in here._

_Click_

"Huh?" Hearing something behind me, I whipped around; my eyes frantically scanned the area, but… Nothing. "… Where- _wahhhh!_" An uncomfortable skittering feeling crawled up my back, causing me to arch my back and flail around wildly; it felt as though a large pair of hands were scuttling over my spine. In fact… "Magokoro Muki! What are you _doing?_" I shook my body around in an attempt to forget the unpleasant sensation that my 'Partner' had just put me through.

"Heh, heh…" Magokoro let out a bit of a laugh before strolling past me, and picking something off of the ground.

"Ah…" The metallic sound. It had been from his Player Pin, landing behind me.

"You see, miss," Magokoro grinned obnoxiously, stowing the badge away in his pocket, "the way that I tricked you just now… That could be compared to Imprinting."

"Is that right?" I replied stoically, now rubbing my back with my fists… Well, as far as I could reach, anyway.

"First," he continued, unperturbed, "I introduced the concept of 'spiders' to you; no doubt, the thought stuck in your head even after it was apparent that I was lying." He certainly wasn't wrong there. "Next, I distracted you with an 'unfamiliar' stimulus. I imagine that you didn't expect a sound such as that; your surprise was only amplified by the fact that you were considering the disagreeable notion of 'spiders'… And of course, my Player Pin also turned you around, away from me." Magokoro shrugged, as if he hadn't planned it out at all. "At that moment, your mind had been placed in an 'extreme' state," he continued to talk, as we continued to walk, "your concentration was focused on imagining my 'meme', 'spiders could be in the vicinity', so the sound of my Pin startled you all the more, you see." Scratching the back of his neck, Magokoro brought his lengthy exposition to an end. "For the briefest of moments, you weren't thinking as straight as you normally would. That's when you made an error that could never happen in any normal circumstances: You mistook my hands…" Wearing a very accomplished expression, Magokoro held up his hands and wriggled his fingers, much to my chagrin. "… For a 'spider'."

"… You're still full of surprises." I smiled, relenting. He had yet again, despite his questionable means and demeanour, managed to teach me something very interesting.

The human psychology is very complex, but it can also be very simple. If I had just remembered Magokoro's words in the storeroom; if I'd just kept them in my heart… Then perhaps Shibuya would have been left unscathed.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"If I may," the Queen's voice caught the Bishop's attention, "there is no need to extend the Bishop's area-of-effect from herself to the very edges of Shibuya's borders…"

The King chuckled; he was fairly certain of what the Queen was about to suggest, as he had already thought of it himself. "Please, continue." However, he wasn't one to dismiss his second-in-command so easily.

At the King's jovial nod, the Queen confirmed to herself what she had already suspected; the King had considered her solution before she had even envisioned it. "… Yes, Sir." However, she wasn't one to dismiss herself so easily, either. "The Bishop's Soul Revel has a chance of backfiring with a negative effect proportional to that of the scale that it was initially cast at; with that in mind," The Queen's eyes flickered to the Knight and the Rook; they seemed to be listening, "it may be more prudent for her to lay deposits of her Imagination across the city, with each 'Revel Point' acting as a beacon for the Revel itself."

Exactly what he was thinking. "A fine suggestion, Queen." The King congratulated her, a shrewd look on his face.

"… Sir." The Queen bowed her head; a signal of respect, as well as one of apology. Anything that she could Imagine… Clearly, the King would be able to Imagine better.

"And that's your play this Game, Bishop." The King brought the briefing back to his original request. "Maximize the efficiency of the time you are given. Whereas the Queen will be our last line of defence in remaining out of the Composer's reach, you will be our _first,_ and, I daresay, most important; with your Soul Revel, you will deter any and all potential interferences before they can even form."

'Faith' was now a more relevant word in the Bishop's eyes; weaving a web of Imagination across the vast metropolis of Shibuya was already no easy task, but to hold together and remotely manage the entire network for 7 Days… It would take more than a little Willpower to prevent her from Erasing herself. "… Understood." The Bishop agreed, only considering the difficulty of the task for the briefest of moments; 'difficulty' was another word which held little meaning to the woman, after all, what use is gauging the difficulty of a task if you intend to complete it? If you know that any given challenge is 'possible to complete', and you advance with 100% of your skill… There's nothing else to think about, is there?

"And Rook," the King laid his eyes on the final member, "your move isn't exactly… 'Tasteful'. But it is crucial to the endgame concluding in our favour."

The Rook eyes narrowed.

"I trust that I have your loyalty, Rook." The King stated; it was not a threat, nor did the King consider that the Rook would disagree… The King only wished to convey the confidence that he had in his comrade; the confidence that he had in _all_ of his comrades.

"You don't have to ask that, 'your Majesty'." The Rook returned, a smug look on his face. "I am sworn to protect you, after all." He finished, dropping to one knee, and lowering his head.

"Hmph. The theatrics are unnecessary, Rook." The King chortled. "Well, then… I'll be instructing you on your movements for the next Week…"

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Ramen Don  
01:49:01 until Time Zero  
01:49:00…  
01:48:59…**_

"Koushi." Magokoro propped the girl's head up on his hand, allowing her to sit up. "Koushi, can you hear me?" He spoke slow; deliberate.

She may have now been conscious, but it was clear that she was struggling to even move her body; her eyes periodically darted around half of the time, and simply stared into the distance the rest of the time. She was virtually catatonic… A sad state to behold.

"Was it this bad when she told you about Hiro…?" I sat beside the two of them, silently sending my best wishes.

"It was worse earlier, so that's… Good. That she's 'improved', I mean." Magokoro grimaced. "Just give her a moment to wake up; she'll be more responsive." Magokoro advised, still cradling the injured Player in his arms…

A few minutes passed as Koushi slowly began to develop more and more awareness; her breathing came in regular intervals, and her hands stopped trembling. Finally… "_Khhi-… -rrrroh…_"

"Hey…!" I practically leapt forward. "Koushi, it's us… Just relax, we're here." I smiled at her as best I could; at the very least, she was still alive. That was a result that I was willing to accept. I grasped her hand in mine, and waited… There was still something strange about her breathing; I couldn't put my finger on it.

Hearing me speak, Koushi slowly, slowly turned her head towards me; her eyes wandered for a second, before settling on my face. "_M-… -isss…?_" Her voice was dry and rasped; each syllable she uttered made it sound as if she was choking.

Panic rose within me. "Magokoro… She's having trouble talking." I whispered, fearful.

Magokoro looked away, hiding his face beneath his hood and staying silent.

Bringing my other hand to her face, I softly brushed it across her cheek in an attempt to comfort her… It was all I could think of. "Shh… It's okay, it's okay… Don't strain yourself." It became more difficult to keep a level expression… My mouth trembled; the corners started to turn downwards, no matter how hard I tried to smile, I couldn't maintain it… And how badly I wanted to.

"_Hhh… Khhh… Hii-… Hiiiro…_"

The name sent a dagger through my heart. 'He's not here'… I couldn't bear to say it. How would she react? Would she cry? Scream? How I could I possibly understand the feeling of having your only remaining family taken away from you? I couldn't.

I simply couldn't.

"Koushi… We're going to get him." Even the level-headed Magokoro's voice shook when he assured her. Just by the slightest amount. "You need to stay here. You-…" As my Partner tenderly ran his finger over the marks on Koushi's neck… It became apparent to me that her throat had been crushed. It was no wonder she couldn't breathe normally. "… You need to rest." He finished; his voice catching in his throat.

"_Hi-…-rrro…?_" Koushi repeated again, tears formed in her eyes as her gaze drifted between the two of us; she was confused… She didn't understand. "_-whhhe-… -re isss… heee?_"

_They took him, Koushi… But we're getting him back. We promise._ I couldn't even bring myself to say that. "He's…" I blinked repeatedly, wishing that the stinging feeling in my eyes would leave. "Just… stay here, okay, Koushi?" I finally managed to pull together a small smile… But its arrival was dampened by a tear rolling down my cheek, and onto her tiny hand.

"… _-hhhy… -ou khhrr-… -yying…?_" Koushi stared at me, pitifully.

"Me? N-No, I'm…" I turned to Magokoro for support, but he looked just as pained as I did. "… It's just… It's just raining, K-Koushi." I couldn't say her name without gasping out a cough, as I did whenever I cried. I hoped that she had heard it as a laugh.

"_M-… -ss…_" Koushi looked through me; her metallic, steel-grey eyes were moist and reddening.

"Ye-… Yes?"

"_Whhh-… -rrre's… Hiii-… -rrro…?_"

"Koushi, I…" I gripped her hand tighter, feeling more helpless than ever.

"… We'll get him for you." Magokoro managed to sound somewhat confident. "But you need to wait here… Okay?" Magokoro pulled out a pair of spectacles, Koushi's spectacles, from his pocket; shiny, and looking brand-new… It seemed as though he had repaired them for her. With loving care, Magokoro rested the glasses upon her face, neatly tucking the ends behind her ears… Right where they belonged.

Koushi merely continued to breathe heavily; each wheezing gasp seemed to last an eternity.

"… Come on." Magokoro spoke to me in a low voice, and softly stepped away. But I didn't move; I was given a moment alone with the girl.

Unable to think of anything to say, I merely pulled Koushi's small body close; holding her head against my chest, I gently stroked my hand over her head.

Weaving my fingers through her warm, brunette hair, I was reminded of the golden-orange leaves of autumn. All those times that I had spent a day walking aimlessly through dry, dying forests; simply to experience the joy of returning months later… And finding my old friends bright and green; full of life and vigour…

Is that the kind of person I was?

I couldn't be sure if I was truly recalling my past, or if my imagination was running away with me… But as I pondered this, Koushi stirred again.

"_Hi-… -ro…_" Koushi's small arms weakly wrapped around my waist, only to fall back down, seconds later. "_… Where… -re you-…?_" With a final, miserable plea, Koushi Tetsuyou ceased to move. I was left with nothing but silence, and a cold pool of tears over my heart.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

The Rook could only stare at the King, half-exasperated, half-amused. _He wasn't kiddin' when he said 'not exactly tasteful'._

"After you have selected your candidates," the King elaborated, "_that_ is when you will Erase any other Players or Reapers that may prove to be unnecessary in the Game; distractions, interferences… You need to Erase them all, and this includes any Harriers who are sent out specifically to investigate our actions… You have my permission." The King twisted his neck, sending an audible 'crick' through the hall. "If the Composer even _suspects_ that we have infiltrated the Game, He won't be taking any chances. At that point, it's likely that any further attempt at hiding would be pointless; better a show of force, to misdirect Him. In a word, it's 'containment'; understood, Rook?"

"Perfectly." The Rook shrugged, wondering how he would go about achieving the objective that the King had laid out before him. "And are you planning on taking a nap, while we're all running around next week?" He joked. "Would you prefer to watch from the sidelines like a 'King' does, or…?"

"Hm." The King regarded the Rook's question, and turned to face the marble throne in which he had been using. "One thing, Rook." The King spoke with his back turned. "I am not the Composer. I do not sit idly by as my brethren fall before the enemy; I do not find it befitting of a King to order his subjects to fight on his behalf as he trembles behind the walls of his stronghold; I do not believe that a man who sits idly by the battlefield and watches for amusement could ever be worthy of the title of 'King'." With those words, the King swung his arm and vaporized his seat with a burst of energy, leaving him standing above the other members of CHECKMATE. "And that is why I will be at the front lines, leading the four of you to victory. Nobody… Not the Reapers, nor the Composer… Not even Sanae Hanekoma will not stop me. _None_ of us, for that matter." Turning to face his comrades, he smirked once more. "Of that, I am certain."

* * *

**Player Side**

_**West Exit Bus Terminal  
01:19:16 until Time Zero  
01:19:15…  
01:19:14…**_

As we reached the entrance to the Station Underpass, the two of us slowed to a halt; I considered the challenge that lay ahead of us. If the Game Master was indeed as fearsome as I gathered, I shuddered to think what kind of ordeal awaited us beyond this point.

"We've got about 50 minutes left… Should be enough time to end this." Magokoro estimated, likely wanting to encourage himself just as much as me. His face now bore no sign of the light-hearted mirth from earlier; my Partner's sharp features were set serious, carrying a hint of anxiety. I reminded myself that for all his qualities, my good friend was still 'only human', the same as me.

I nodded, gathering my thoughts, preparing myself for what was to come.

"Like I told you on the way here." He spoke without looking at me. "CHECKMATE won't be able to interfere as long as the GM's in control. But as soon the Game's over…" Magokoro looked away, twisting a lock of hair around his finger. "… Well, we'll need to basically draw the Composer's attention to them as fast as possible."

"And how will we do that, exactly…?" I murmured, gazing into the dark abyss that was the Station Underpass.

"… Prob'ly need to break a lot of stuff, really. Just make a lot of noise." He snickered at the word 'noise', before returning his face to its previous, serious cast. "Doesn't matter. The Composer's likely deep within the River; we should race over to Him first, but…" Magokoro took a moment to look behind us, then at the buildings, the road, the sky… Almost as if he was appraising the city itself. "There's something preventing Him from Seeing CHECKMATE. I think I can feel it, too… Maybe."

Not really understanding, I examined the area, just as he did. Nothing.

"… It's almost as if we're… _Inside_ someone else's Soul, 'swhat it feels like."

Trying to understand, I closed my eyes… Perhaps Magokoro was referring to something outside of the visible realm.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

The sounds were the first thing that she noticed when she blinded herself.  
Streetlights turning green.  
Steps. People walking.  
Music. People talking.  
And then she opened her eyes.

She couldn't grasp it. The girl's Soul had slowly, surely been recovering from the fragmented state that it had been in a week prior, and though she had not really noticed it, Katy was gradually returning to the way she was in the RealGround; her personality, her mind, how she viewed the world… Having started out as 'less than Katy', the girl was now close to completely reverting to her normal.

But she still couldn't grasp it.

Katy had missed what was so obvious to Magokoro Muki; there was something encasing Shibuya. That something was manipulating every single choice that had been made since Day 1 of the Reaper's Game. Not just her choices, or Muki's choices, but _everyone's._ Nobody in the Game had been spared from its effect; not even the Producer… And certainly not the Composer.

They just didn't know it yet.

Allowing herself to relax, Katy threw a sideways look at her Partner. After a moment's consideration, she chose to believe that Muki was simply paranoid, and that everything was fine.

Just another 'choice' that wasn't really hers.

"I don't know, Magokoro." Katy tilted her head, slightly worried about her friend. "You know that I trust you more than anyone… But I think that this time you've gone just a little _too_ crazy on me." She joked, allowing herself a very small smile.

"… Yeah," lowering his head, Muki let out a breath that he wasn't aware he had been holding, "I'm a little on edge. Guess I'm imagining things."

I paused, looking him over. "Don't worry." She held his shoulder and gave it a reassuring shake, grinning at him; a real, meaningful expression. "We can do this, Magokoro Muki. You and me."

"… Ugh." He groaned playfully. "I guess it's gotten real bad if I need _you_ to reassure _me_." He laughed, and held up a fist. "I'm counting on you. 'kay, 'Kay'?"

She responded with a laugh of her own, and knocked the side of her fist with his, "'kay, 'Mago'."

With their spirits seemingly rejuvenated, the two of them walked into the Station Underpass, ready for anything… And that's when they saw it. Or rather, that's when they _didn't._

"Where's… The Game Master?" The cold, empty passageway greeted Katy, laughing at her confusion.

* * *

**Player Side**

_**West Exit Bus Terminal  
01:19:16 until Time Zero  
01:19:15…  
01:19:14…**_

Left. Right. Up. Down. Nowhere.

Lastly, I twisted my head around, and searched behind me.

Still nothing.

"… Nobody here." Magokoro highlighted to me what was already becoming apparent.

"It would appear that way." I quietly agreed; uneasy, I continued to stare at the empty Station Underpass. _Not even a pedestrian to break the composition._ I mused, taking the gloomy atmosphere in.

_44:46…  
44:45…  
44:44…_

The never-ending ticking of our Timers had become all the more audible, thanks to the stark silence that the area provided. Almost as if pining for our attention, they beep, beep, beeped… Boring a sense of insanity into our heads.

"Say, Magokoro." I spoke, if only to hear something other than that constant reminder of our impending doom.

"Yeah?" Even in this clearly empty environment, my Partner remained tense, anticipating an ambush at any time. As one should.

"Did you know… That in Japanese, the word for 'four' is pronounced the same as 'death'?" Attempting to bring some light-heartedness to the situation, (ignore that fact that I was speaking about death,) I gave him some trivia, still trying to ignore the fact that I wasn't sure if we were already speaking Japanese or not.

"Huh. That right?" Magokoro seemed mildly interested, but most of his attention was directed towards searching for the Game Master.

"'Four' and 'death' are both pronounced as 'Shi'. This has led to some superstition regarding the number, in a similar fashion to the way that Westerners treat the number 13." I continued my exposition, though, like Magokoro, I too was looking for an indication of the Game Master's presence.

"You mean like how buildings skip the numbering of their levels when they reach thirteen floors?" Magokoro offered, examining an empty space near the middle of the underpass.

"Something like that. I thought that you might find it interesting, since our Timers just passed 44:44." I added, explaining my rationalization of my train of thought.

"Heh, that's worrying," Magokoro chuckled, now circling around the spot that he had been staring at, "are you saying that it's an omen of death, or something?"

"No, not at all." I smiled; having now inspected the perimeter of the underpass, I stopped, and stretched my arms. "Temperance comes after Death in the Major Arcana. That's because 'Death' doesn't necessarily mean a grisly end. It can just as easily indicate a new beginning; a rebirth of sorts." Raising my hand, I once again swayed my index finger from side to side; my other hand on my hip. "No need to be so pessimistic, Magokoro." I grinned, winking at him in a playful manner.

Magokoro stopped his pacing, and stared at me for a moment; his expression calm, but curious. "… You're quite fascinating, miss. I kinda wish I had more time to get to know you." Smirking, he ran a hand through his hair, letting it come to a rest on the back of his neck.

"And I, you, Magokoro." I beamed. "But there'll be plenty of time for that after the Game's over."

"Funny you should say that…" Letting his hand drop, my friend cricked his neck and pointed to the space that he had been so intrigued by. "I think I just found our way forward."

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Station Underpass – Noise Plane  
01:13:58 until Time Zero  
01:13:57…  
01:13:56… **_

The Game Master tilted his head back, narrowly avoiding being struck in the head. His attacker? The Bishop. "That's a mean swing you've got there, Kitty." Chortling, he habitually sliced at the air a couple of times; his weapon, a blade concealed within an ornate cane, not something that he would randomly draw out in, say… A bus full of passengers.

"Shut up and fight, man." The Bishop's companion, The Rook, spoke up; his voice was brimming with irritation. "If you don't want to hit a girl 'because you're a gentleman', then I'll take you on." Cracking his knuckles, the Rook threw a punch at the ground, causing the concrete below the Game Master to shatter, offsetting his balance… Or at least, it would have, if he hadn't already jumped to another location.

"So hasty, Rookie." The swordsman twirled his sabre around; the very picture of nonchalance. "Take a tip from your friend there; she's as level-headed as they come… Oh?" Feeling that his hair was slipping out of its usual style, the man raised a hand and ruffled it back into a more-familiar tangled mess, through which only one of his eyes could barely be seen; bright and blue against his platinum blond locks. "Dear me, perhaps I need a haircut… What do you think, Kitty?" He turned to the Bishop, only to find that she was gone.

_Swash!_

_Clang!_

Without blinking, the Game Master raised his sword behind his head, and stopped another of the Bishop's strikes.

Immediately upon touching the ground, the Bishop jumped away, so fast that it was almost as if she had disappeared, then reappeared elsewhere.

"No, no, no. _Bad_ kitty." The Game Master shook his head in exasperation. "Don't go picking up bad habits from your escort."

"God, you're annoying…" The Rook complained, staying light on his toes, wondering how he should attack next. "When I heard that Jack the Ripper was chosen as GM, I couldn't believe it, really… You're so shifty, I can't _believe_ that the Conductor trusts you."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware, Rook. You've expressed your displeasure three or four times now, I think." The Game Master yawned, apparently having minimal difficulty fending off his opponents. "You're taking up a lot of my time here, really though. I'm expecting company soon, you know." Alleviating himself of a little boredom with an improvised rhyme, he tittered, a decidedly un-masculine action.

"That would be us, I'm guessing?" a man's voice interjected.

Hearing the familiar voice from behind him, The Game Master turned his head, just in time to see a pair of Players materialize into the Plane.

"Well, well… If it isn't the Pawn…" The Rook muttered under his breath, observing the new arrivals.

* * *

**Player Side**

"I'm sorry, what'd you just call me…?" Magokoro raised an eyebrow, looking slightly offended.

Having noticed a tear in the UG, Magokoro had suggested the possibility that the Game Master was waiting for Players in the Noise Plane; having not much else to go on, I had agreed.

_He managed to get us here… But what's this…?_

Upon touching down, I was surprised to see who the Game Master was currently battling. Magokoro had gone on to say that another pair of Players had most likely engaged the Game Master before us… But these two were certainly not Players, no.

They were CHECKMATE.

"Nothin', man. I didn't say anything." The Rook waved off my Partner' question with an inconvenienced look on his face.

"Not enough that I pulled my back getting' us here, but now people are calling me names." Magokoro clicked his tongue in irritation before turning to me. "Did you hear what he called me?"

"He said _something,_ but I couldn't really make out what." I answered truthfully, sighing at my companion's childish side coming out at such an inappropriate time. "Just let it go. Maybe he said that 'you made a cool entrance', or something to that effect."

"I don't think he said that." Magokoro sulked.

"Definitely didn't say that." The Rook confirmed, bluntly.

"Didn't sound that way to me, either." The Game Master chimed in; cheerfully adjusting his black jacket to sit straight on his shoulders.

The Bishop maintained her unamused, trademark poker face. "We're leaving." With that, the Bishop vanished into nothingness, having apparently decided that the situation had become too troublesome to deal with.

"Wh- hey!" The Rook voiced his objection too late. A few seconds later, he turned to us. "Well, if it were up to me, we'd be wiping the floor with the three of you… But I guess you got away this time." Finishing his boast, the Rook left in a similar fashion to his compatriot, giving us no time to stop him.

"… Well, then." Without moving the rest of his body, the Game Master contorted his neck, twisting his head around to look at us. "This is rather awkward, but I'm afraid that we have to fight now." Raising his weapon towards us, the Reaper prepared his attack…

"Wait, wait, wait." Magokoro waved his arms around; hands open, denoting a lack of ill intent. "This isn't the best way to go, trust me."

The Reaper paused. "And whatever do you mean by that?" Intrigue lay in the man's voice, though he kept his guard up.

"Those guys… Why did they attack you?" Magokoro looked concerned. "In fact, how'd they get this close to the River without being detected?"

"Oh. You know of the River, then?" The Game Master looked amused. "Well, as for your question, it would seem that the many of the Reapers that I've stationed throughout Shibuya have been… Dealt with."

A shiver ran down my spine. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen as many Reapers as I thought I would have. Not only today, but throughout the entire Game… Why was that?

"However," the man's voice brought my attention back to him, "that's not to say that they're _all_ gone. In fact, only the ones that I sent out to investigate. Everyone else is untouched." He frowned. "In fact, they've reported a startling level of inactivity around their posts… Almost as if these CHECKMATE hooligans know exactly where my Reapers are situated each Day. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" The tall man regarded us with undisguised suspicion. Clearly, the Game wasn't running as it normally did.

"That wouldn't be us, no." Magokoro answered, keeping his hands up in a sign of cease-fire.

"But what do you mean 'investigate'?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

The Game Master slowly drew his eye over to me, piercing me with his leer. "You see, child," he stated simply, "I caught wind of some interference on the Day 4 of the game, so I sent out a squadron to probe the city… They didn't come back, obviously." He added, indifferent.

"You sent out an investigative squad?" I repeated. _Day 4. That was the Day that the Bishop attacked the Game Master…_

"Yes, and my reward was a disagreeable stray cat, as you may recall." He groaned. "… Well, I suppose that the Conductor was the one who ordered the search; not me. But I wasn't about to disagree with him, was I?"

"In any case," Magokoro brought the conversation back to his control, "those two… They're from CHECKMATE; they're all bad news. You need to call off the Game right now, and alert the Composer, or at least warn the Conductor."

"Whatever are you talking about?" The Game Master replied in a bored drawl; his patience seemed to be wearing thin.

"I didn't think that it was possible, but if they've gotten this close…" Magokoro looked back at me, most likely checking to see if I was alright. Upon seeing my serious, collected face, he continued to talk to the Game Master. "Listen, it's entirely possible that other members could have walked right past you, since you were occupied with the Rook and the Bishop. They're about to ambush the Composer, I'm sure of it. We _need_ to get-"

"Do you honestly, _truly_ think that any one of those CHECKMATE ex-Reapers are a match for the Composer of Shibuya?" The Game Master brought up a point which I hadn't really considered.

Just how powerful _was_ the Composer? I had no idea, having never witnessed His power firsthand, or even second-hand… It occurred to me that the Composer could be on another level that I hadn't even imagined. If that was the case, was there really even a need for us to interfere?

"No, you don't understand." Magokoro persisted. "They may not be in a position to Erase Him, but they've been preparing something else; a method that will assure their victory _without_ the need to overpower the Composer altogether."

"And I assume that you're willing to tell me what, exactly, this method is?" The Game Master enquired as soon as Magokoro had finished speaking.

"I…" Magokoro looked slightly downcast, his speech slowing for the first time. "… I don't know what it is."

"Of course you don't." The Reaper established. "That's because you're delusional, sir. And having said all that…" Finally lowering his sword, the blond man smirked. "You were the one who attacked Yashiro, weren't you? She said that her attacker looked like a 'scruffy weirdo', I believe."

"Yashiro?" I echoed. I hadn't spoken for a while; my voice felt dry.

"You mean the pink-haired Reaper? Actually, I think you'll find that she attacked me, first." My Partner defended himself. "But that's not important," with single-minded focus, he attempted to get back on-topic, "while we waste time here, CHECKMATE's getting closer to the Composer-"

"And he was so _vicious,_ too." The swordsman spoke to me now; talking about Magokoro as if he wasn't even here. "Did you know? He almost _killed_ the poor girl; she was just doing her job, trying to survive… And all of this in the first few minutes of the Reaper's Game. Did he tell you that, young lady?"

I remained silent. Magokoro seemed to have a downcast look on his face… Though, being behind him, I couldn't really tell.

"I'll tell you another thing. Do you know how many Players are still in the Game at this moment? Four. _Four_ Players. And that count has been the same since Day 3." Clearly, he was referring to Magokoro, myself, and the Tetsuyou twins.

_Day 3…?_ I took a moment to recollect; that was, in fact, the first time that we had met the children.

"Do you see what I'm getting at? Without first making a Pact, he managed to fight off a Reaper, _by himself._" the three syllables had such emphasis on them that the Reaper managed to empty his lungs of air completely just by speaking them. "Not only that, but he was able to critically injure his opponent. And then, two days later, all of the other Players vanish and you just happen to run into only other remaining pair of Players. Do you understand now, miss?" Unrelenting, Mr. Gentleman drove his point home. "This man that you've had the misfortune of Pacting with… This 'friend' of yours that you trust; he's not who you think at all. He's planned out everything so that the four of you would survive! Clearly, he's a _Reaper!_"

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_Well. He went there._ Despite the situation, Magokoro Muki was still oddly curious to see just how betrayed Katy would look. He always had been a curious man. There were no ulterior motives behind that particular attribute; it was just how he was.  
Curious.  
Like a 'cat', you might say.

However, when he turned his head to examine his Partner, he was met with the sight of Katy looking… Thoroughly unfazed.

"What are you trying to do, Game Master?" She posed the question with a complete lack of worry in her voice. "Make me distrust Magokoro? Are you attempting to drive some sort of wedge between us? Allow me to tell you something important." Katy clapped her hand against Muki's back. "Magokoro and I- whoops, sorry."

Not exactly expecting it, Muki had his centre of balance offset by Katy's hand; it took a momentary stumble to right himself again.

Though her dramatic moment was somewhat ruined, the female Player cleared her throat and said what she had to say. "Magokoro and I are Partners, and unluckily for you, my Entry Fee's technically made Magokoro my first ever acquaintance. So I just have that much more faith in him." Amused at her strange, somehow logical reasoning, Katy crossed her arms and stood in a relaxed stance. "So, do you… 'See what I'm getting at', Mr. Gentleman? There's nothing that you can say that will cause me to doubt Magokoro. Because we're not merely Partners… We're friends."

A wave of emotion hit Muki; a smile began to form on his lips. _I was right to choose her._ Muki eyed Katy, content. _She's such an… Such an…_

…

* * *

**Player Side**

Silence.

I hadn't really expected such a long silence after I had said my piece. It made me a little embarrassed, actually.

That feeling was somewhat amplified by the sight of my 'friend' avoiding eye contact with me, clearly holding in a bout of laughter.

However, a split second before I was able to reprimand my Partner, the Game Master asked me something unexpected. "And who… Is 'Mr. Gentleman'?" A quizzical look was on the man's face; he most certainly knew that it was him whom I had referred to. Perhaps he disliked the nickname itself?

"Well, seeing as you labelled yourself as such, I took it upon myself to indulge you."

Demonstrating remarkable flexibility, the Game Master turned his head to the side by at least 90 degrees; not the most pleasing sight. "I called myself… That?" Producing a familiar cane, (or at least, a segment of it,) the Reaper sheathed his sword, and rested the now complete wicker upon his shoulder. The carvings caught on the fabric of his coat as he rolled it from side to side. "I… Called myself… A 'gentleman'."

I observed him closely. _He's acting, _I quickly decided, _he must be._ Though, to my astonishment, no matter how hard I looked, I could not see any trace of deception upon his face. Furthermore, having familiarized myself with his sarcastic persona, I was that much more certain that this… Wasn't it. He genuinely could not recall. "… The first time we met." I prompted him.

"The first time we met? Day 4, you mean."

"No… The _first_ time we met." I corrected him; a slight amount of frustration ran through me, strengthening my words.

"… Dear me, how terribly rude I've been." The Game Master clenched his temples with his free hand, hiding his face in… Shame? "My apologies, miss. I make it a point to not forget one's face once I meet them, but in your case… It seems that I have done just that."

Silence.

"You're saying that you don't recall the first time that we met…?"

"I truly am sorry." He bowed his head. And the funny thing is that… He really, really was. "I could hazard a guess to say that we met in the RG, before the Game; even _I_ could not forget meeting you within such a span of time as short as 7 Days… Still, it _is_ inexcusable-"

"_Black Jupiter._"

Bright as day, and yet dark as night: A bolt of black lightning shot out of an adjacent wall, and raced towards the Game Master; almost too fast to see.

"Nngh…!" For the first time, the Reaper showed some form of effort in avoiding an attack; the bolt flashed past him, blasting into the opposite wall and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire exchange took about a tenth of a second.

"Magokoro, what are you doing?" The thunderous sound had caused me to instinctually sink toward the ground, keeping my centre of balance low.

"We have half an hour left. _Less_ than half an hour." He stated, emotionless. "If he's not going to cooperate with us, then… We'll do what we have to."

_29:52…  
29:51…  
29:50…_

"That's the Mission he gave us in the first place, anyway." Pulling a new set of Pins out, Magokoro took his stance.

"That's more like it, Monsieur Muki." Our opponent redrew his weapon, tucking the comparatively useless cane portion somewhere into his coat. "These kinds of battles are meant to be all-out, after all…!"

It appeared as though the time for talking was over. Drawing out a set of my own, I prepared for the final showdown.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**West Exit Bus Terminal  
44:46 until Time Zero  
44:45…  
44:44…**_

_14:46…  
14:45…  
14:44…_

Approximately a quarter of an hour had passed since Katy and Muki engaged their final opponent in the Reaper's Game. Dust clouds dispersed, sparks flew… The very air seemed to be charged with an electrifying energy. Minutes into the battle, the two Players had noticed that they were beginning to fade from each other's perception; the Game Master was steadily pushing the pair into separate Zones, where they belonged…

But that was in the Station Underpass.

Unbeknownst to the combatants, another Player was making their way towards the field of battle. "_Haaah… Haaah…_" The Player's short frame shook as a couple of harsh gasps coursed through them. Having run here from across Shibuya, the young Player was… More than a little tired.

A sudden thunderclap startled pedestrians everywhere; seemingly out of nowhere, a storm had arrived. A torrent of cold, heavy water crashed down to Earth, noisily pelting the asphalt, and soaking the already tired Player to the bone.

"_H-… Hiro…_" Still calling for her beloved brother, Koushi Tetsuyou limped towards her destination.

* * *

**Player Side**

"Blast it!" The Game Master cursed, having once again failed to deliver a fatal blow.

To his credit, the numerous cuts that he had already given me were stinging to no end. Fortunately for me, the glowing green shroud around me prevented the wounds' conditions from worsening.

Spinning his weapon into a reversed-grip, the Reaper attempted to take my head off from my right.

Planting my own right foot into the ground, I propelled my upper body in the opposite direction, left, and watched the sharp edge fly past me; the scent of rusted metal filled the air. _Without the Light Puck, that might've been the end of me… Thanks, Magokoro…!_

Employing the use of his momentum to somersault forwards 180 degrees whilst simultaneously wheeling around by a full 360 degrees, the Game Master skilfully flipped over me. Now both upside-down and behind my flank, the swordsman allowed his blade to continue in its path, aiming slash at my shoulder from my left.

Unfortunately, having already pushed myself to the left, I had picked up too much inertia to now change my mind. With only one option imaginable, I closed my eyes and braced for the incoming pain. _This one's really going to hurt._ "_Thunderbolt…!_" Before the blade could reach me, I raised my right hand and slammed it into my own chest. "_Ggaaahhhh!_" Lightning-hot fury surged through my body; stabbing pain enveloped me as I was thrown backwards by the force of my own Psych.

_Swish!_

The Game Master's sword missed me by the tiniest amount; I gave a silent farewell to a few strands of my auburn hair as I tumbled backwards along the hard concrete ground, only coming to a stop when I hit an equally hard concrete wall.

_Crash!_

"Kuh…" Coughing out wisps of static, I slumped against the now-shattered stone; small bits of rubble fell around me, click-clacking in a rhythmic fashion as they went. Feeling as if I had broken a few bones, I raised my head to the less-than-welcome sight of a blade being pointed at my face.

"Any last words…?" My opponent queried, his voice carrying a hint of respect for my plucky, if idiotic, stratagem.

"W-Well…" I coughed again. How long had we been fighting? It felt like an eternity. As it was now… I could barely twitch my fingers. My body flickered around the edges, losing its sharpness; patches of my visage blinked in and out of my vision as a mirage would. I was a radio with a bad signal. A broken clock… Close to its end.

In that moment, it all caught up with me; all the fatigue, all of the effort… The pointlessness of it all. Everything that I had tried so hard to stave off hit me like a brick wall. I had hit my limit. Simple as that. Why was I fighting? What did I have to go back to? I had Magokoro, I suppose… But he would be better off without having to babysit me, really. I had rebuffed the idea of him being a Reaper earlier, however that was merely a front… Deep in my heart, I knew that Magokoro had hidden something from me; what it was, I had no idea. Regardless, I trusted that he had left my mind unburdened with his secrets for good reason, but… Did it even matter at this point?

The Light Puck wavered, and disappeared.

"… You're rather strong. Could I have a moment, please?" A cheeky grin spread across my face, as I closed my eyes in acceptance of my fate.

"That'll do nicely, actually." The Game Master smiled alongside me, no doubt amused by the dark, if humorous mental image of the epitaph on my gravestone. With that last romanticism, he raised the executioner's axe skyward… And brought it down on my head, ending my Existence.

* * *

_**7th Day…**_

* * *

… No, I'm only joking.

My eyes snapped open. No doubt, shining their usual fiery violet. "_THUNDERBOLT!_" Shouting my best hope to the heavens, I willed my arm to move; intercepting the Game Master's sword, I simultaneously activated my Psych, channelling as much power through the blade as I could, right into its wielder.

A bright flash of light burned my eyes as my opponent was flung away, directly into the opposing wall. The subsequent crash was similar to all others that had preceded it. We may have broken the record for 'most walls destroyed in one day'.

The large, deep gash in my palm bled static profusely. I hissed in agony; my hand seemed ready to break in two at any moment. "_C-… Cure Drink._" I coughed again and downed the can that materialized in front of me; welcoming the warm sensation that spread through my veins. _That's a bit better._ Both my _Thunderbolt_ and _Cure Drink_ Pins had now dimmed; no matter how I tried, I couldn't get a response out of them. _They're Rebooting. Considering the scale to which I just used them, it might be a while._ Wincing, I forced myself into a standing position; the Psych had certainly improved my condition, but I was far from fully recovered. _Last I checked, Magokoro wasn't doing too badly… Let's hope that's still the case._ Scraping up whatever reserves I had left, I formed a new Light Puck and sent it his way.

The Game Master wrenched himself out of the wall, and took a few steps towards me; his breathing slightly heavier than it had been a few moments earlier. "… You don't give up, do you?" My adversary regarded me with interest, crouching low; preparing to pounce.

"Lying down never struck me as something fun, no." I managed another shaky smile, holding my right shoulder for fear of my arm falling off.

"Then die standing…!" With a flourish of his blade, the enemy charged at me one more time, his blade glinting green in the light.

… _Green?_

"_Black Saturn!_" A Light Puck-empowered Magokoro, having seemingly torn a void between our Zones, leapt out of a shimmering passageway and cast a protective barrier around me.

Before my Partner had even finished speaking, the Game Master had retreated, leaping several paces away; a look of surprise on his face.

Landing squarely beside me, Magokoro dropped the barrier, and gave my tattered form a once over. "… Man, you look like hell. I kinda hoped that you'd be doing better."

"What?" I glared at him, irate. "What about… Actually, you look rather well." I conceded, releasing my shoulder and standing straight. "… I'm glad." I added, not wanting my friend to think that I would ever wish him ill.

"Don't worry, you've done well to survive." Magokoro assured me, keeping an eye on the Game Master, who was keeping his distance. "In fact, I can see that you're already much stronger than you were before this fight. Stable." He complimented me, looking somewhat pleased.

"Is that so?" I considered it, taking a moment to twist my arms here and there, giving them a good stretch.

"Oh. I'm, uh… Sorry that you picked up that habit from me." Magokoro sounded a little self-conscious, watching me as I pulled my arms behind my back.

"… People stretch, Magokoro; it's fine." I brushed it off the observation, but also ceased my aerobics, (which, I admitted to myself, I had indeed been doing more frequently after seeing my friend doing it himself.)

"At any rate… Shall we?" Magokoro passed the Light Puck to me, ready to carry on.

"… Yeah. Let's go."

Hearing our conversation, the Game Master decided to strike first; spinning once on the spot, he…

_He just vanished…!_ My eyes widened as the shock hit me; where had he gone?

"_Black Mars!_"

Hearing an inferno-like sound behind me, I jumped forward, orienting myself to see behind me as I did so. Magokoro's wall of jet-black flames erupted from beneath the ground, just in time to protect us from the Game Master.

Extraordinarily, he had been quite prepared to attack us from our rear.

"Good reflexes," the Reaper smirked, "but let's see how long you can keep it up!" He shouted, dashing towards the barrier of fire.

"What's he doing?" I looked on in disbelief. It didn't matter how fast he was; that fire was clearly too intense to simply charge through.

But once again, the Game Master blinked out of sight, and reappeared on the other side of the firewall; _our_ side.

"Magokoro!" I cried a warning out, but it was unnecessary.

"_Black Uranus!_" As the swordsman closed in, Magokoro thrust his hand upward, summoning a piercing pillar of blackened ice from the ground to stop his attacker.

"Far too slow." The Game Master boasted, having already circled around behind Magokoro, he coiled his arm back; ready to bifurcate my Partner.

"_Psychokinesis!_" Just in time, I launched a sizeable chunk of rock at the man, knocking him off of his feet before he even had a chance to…

No, no… Too late. He had once again disappeared from view.

Magokoro stepped out of the way as my projectile careened past him, sliding harmlessly along the ground. "I'm seeing a pattern, here…" He noted, displeased.

"Again…!" Disoriented, I whipped my head around, my eyes scanning the area for the swordsman. "… There!"

Following my gaze, Magokoro was able to get a lock on the Game Master, who was standing on the far side of the Station Underpass.

He almost looked… Bored, really.

"He's fast…!" I panted; my eyes couldn't keep up at all. _Now that I think about it, it's not that my eyes can't keep up…_ It was unlike the Queen, or the Bishop; even when my eyes were physically unable to follow them, I could identify their general vector of movement through other factors, such as sound, air movements… And other small elements. _I can't perceive him at all. He's way too fast; almost as if…_

"'_Warp'._" The Reaper confirmed my suspicions, before grabbing one of the loose sleeves of his jacket and twirling it around like a toy. "It's only on a small scale, but I can manipulate space." The statement carried so much meaning behind it, and yet he had divulged the information as if it meant nothing. "You see? It's not that I'm 'moving fast'. I just… 'Don't have to move' at all, really." He snickered.

"What kind of ability is that…?" I was mortified. Psychs were one thing. Imprinting was another. But this… This was beyond my comprehension.

"It's my _Soul Revel_, dear." He stated, as if were the most obvious thing in the world. "What's yours? I'm dying to know." Grinning, he swung at the air, before crouching back into a battle-ready position.

"'Soul Revel'…" The term was alien to me, though I was able to infer that it represented some kind of 'skill'… Other than that, I had no idea.

"A Soul Revel is a Psych that's unique for each person." Magokoro clarified, still wary of any incoming assaults by the Game Master. "Most Psychs are executed through usage of Pins as a conduit for Imagination… But it's possible to use your own Soul as an outlet for a Psych. Only-"

"Only," the Game Master interrupted, "the unique composition of your Soul will cause you to produce an equally unique Psych; just as a _Pyrokinesis_ Pin produces a fire Psych because of the recognizable design that it bears, or the way that a _Cure Drink_ Pin heals you by instilling the prospect of a rejuvenating beverage in your mind… Oh, and since we're on the subject, I believe that the old Conductor could stop time. If I recall correctly…" The swordsman looked upwards with a nostalgic look on his face. "'_Time Be Still_', and all that."

_So the qualities of his Soul are allowing him to manipulate space…? Seems a little unfair._

"And so, I ask you again, young lady," The man posed his question to me a second time, "what is _your_ Revel? I'm truly, _very_ curious."

"Who knows?" I replied without hesitation. _I_ certainly had no idea; the concept had only just been introduced to me, after all.

"Ah… Now that's a real pity." Looking slightly downcast, the Reaper raised his sword, and shifted the position of his feet…

"_Black Mercury!_" Magokoro yelled, swiping his arm through the air and creating an orb of water it shot off, whizzing past our startled opponent, before deciding to settle in the far corner of the battlefield.

"That was… Impressive?" The Game Master attempted to compliment my Partner; it was evident that he was placing a noticeable of effort into not sounding completely underwhelmed. The effort was almost as noticeable as the fact that he was, indeed, completely underwhelmed.

"One more, then!" Magokoro generated another, and then another. Then five, then ten…

Within a few moments, the entire underpass was littered with a minefield of liquid orbs; some here, some there… Some high up, some almost resting on the ground…

"Katy, you're fine; they aren't deadly… To you." Comforting me, Magokoro held his arms up in a gesture of grandeur, and walked forward; the orbs silently floated out of his path, like servants before their monarch. "Keep one as a pet, use another as a ball… You could even drink one. If you're feelin' particularly thirsty." Cheerfully grinning at his own joke, my Partner's face suddenly turned sinister as he shifted his gaze back to the enemy, "the Game Master on the other hand, is going to find their deadliness a lot less funny."

"If I don't touch them, I'm fine, yes?" The Reaper shrugged, having already thought of a solution. "I'll stay here then, if you don't mind. Come at me when you're ready. Oh, and…" The Game Master indicated our Timers.

_11:14…  
11:13…  
11:12…_

"… I would say that playing the waiting game is really not in your best interests." With a final, smug look, the man raised his sword, and simply stood there.

… _I suppose in this case, 'a strong defence is the best offence'._ I examined my remaining Pins; I had a few long-range Psychs left in my arsenal. That would be the best strategy at this point…

"Say, Katy." Magokoro leant in close, and whispered.

"Wh-… What is it, Magokoro?" I tilted my head away by a minute amount, somewhat uncomfortable with just how close he was.

"Mind if I borrow that Light Puck for a moment?" It wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

"Are you going to… Attack him?" I asked, transferring the energy over to him.

"In a manner of speaking, yes… But no, not _really._" Letting out a calm breath as the Light Puck settled, Magokoro pulled out two Pins: One had a yellow graffiti design that I didn't recognize… And the other was the Harmonizer. "Follow my lead, okay?" He looked at me, confident.

I had no idea what was about to happen, but I complied, stowing away my deck of Pins, and drawing out my own Harmonizer. "Okay… Ready when you are, Magokoro."

"Then let's do it." Taking in the longest breath that I had seen anyone take, Magokoro raised the yellow Pin, and calmly activated its Psych. "_Black Venus._"

Before I could even blink, a multitude of black energy bolts shot out of the Pin, each one heading for a different target; one for each of the orbs that Magokoro had laid.

_Boooom!_

With a deafening sound, the _Black Mercury_ orbs all exploded into vapour, obscuring anything more than an arm's length away from my sight, and encasing the Station Underpass in a scalding sauna of steam.

_He told me to drink _that?! I shivered at the thought of what caustic substance the Psych was made of; at worst, I felt a light burn upon my skin… But our enemy was no doubt affected to a greater degree, being the Psych's target…

"Now!" My Partner's voice rang strong, signalling the beginning of the end.

"Ah, right!" I flew forwards, guided by the Light Puck that shined through the white fog. _He's blinded now. It's just a matter of-_

"Surprise." A familiar, playful voice shook my composure; he was close. Sooner than I could react, the Reaper's sword arced through the air, cutting the steam apart as it moved.

_From my left…!_ Caught off-guard, the world seemed to move in slow-motion as the Game Master's blade swung towards my throat… But then I felt a familiar resurgence of strength. Moving swiftly, I turned and caught the sword edge-first; it barely left a scratch on my palm.

"What…?" The Game Master's only visible eye widened as he stared at me in bewilderment, before promptly being blasted across the battlefield by Magokoro. "_Gaghk…!_"

The explosive force of Magokoro driving his knee into the Game Master's side blew away a good portion of the steam that masked the arena… Just enough to see our surroundings clearly.

As our Sync reached its highest point yet, Magokoro and I roared our twin battle-cries, shaking the stone structure around us.

"_Here comes the Endgame!_"  
"_Let's finish this!_"

My hand subconsciously flew to the black Pin in my pouch; gathering all of my Imagination, I concentrated on forming 'that object' as Magokoro began our assault.

Blazing silver flames formed around both of my Partner's hands; sparkling and shining like a gaseous gemstone. With a considerable amount of effort, he wound back and launched the Psych towards the Game Master. Just as soon as the fire had left his fingertips, Magokoro flitted out of visibility, and reappeared at the enemy's far flank; launching another, Magokoro then leapt high into the air and fired off a final, burning fireball.

"Tch…!" Having only just touched down after being thrown by my Partner, the speedy swordsman found himself facing another challenge: Three infernal comets hurtled towards his location; one from the left, one from above… And the last one, dead ahead. "_Cut._" With a single, resolute word, the Game Master thrashed his sword about, skilfully intercepting each missile before any could cause him harm; the impact of his blade colliding with each of Magokoro's shooting stars produced a sound like a bell tower's, subsequently causing the three projectiles to explode into a sparking stardust.

And by that time, I had already flanked the man myself.

_Clang!_

Seemingly possessing eyes on the back of his head, the Game Master had spun around and parried my weapon with his own.

The swordsman's steel-coloured blade ground against my own, golden-bronze staff; scintillating sparks scattered, leaving tiny, pinprick burns down the length of my arm.

Not wasting a moment, my adversary flicked his wrist and deflected my staff away from him.

The power behind his arm made me take a step away, but it was only a temporary setback; allowing that movement to carry me backwards, I exploited the push he had given me to swivel around, and aim another swing at him. Leaving a wide arc behind it, the far end of my staff crashed against the man's sabre, which had once again been brought up in a defensive fashion.

The rings on the end of the shakujou rattled against one another, like the sound of a lightning bolt exploding on the surface of the Earth.

Not even bothering to force me off a second time, the Game Master opted to immediately aim his blade at my jugular.

My head swayed to the side, easily avoiding the swipe.

_Cling! Clang!_

Consecutive strikes.

_Whoosh… Crash!_

A strong swing.

_Cling! Clang! Whoosh! Clang!_

Defensive manoeuvres.

Our weapons spun around us in a dance, constantly wanting to hit the master of the other, but never reaching; always falling short, one way or another.

"It's about time that you kick the bucket, lass!" Neatly sidestepping two of my swings, the Game Master whirled around; fast enough that his jacket flew off of his shoulders. The article momentarily drifted between us, obscuring his form from me. Quite unexpectedly, I saw his sword stab right through it, and race towards my heart; the Game Master had cleverly used his discarded garment as a blind spot.

A disagreeable grinding noise rang out as my off-hand shot up and caught the blade in its grasp; the metal slid between my fingers for a moment, before being locked in my grip.

"I'll settle for just kicking… _You!_" Punctuating the last word in the sentence, my leg shot out from behind my wrap skirt, driving a boot into my opponent's stomach. I was fairly sure that I'd just felt something snap.

"_Gah…!_" Clearly winded, the Reaper struggled to maintain his balance as he skidded several paces back; his feet left a cloud of dust in their wake.

Spinning my weapon around in a final flourish, I kicked off the ground and shot towards him… "_Bullseye!_" With a last word, I used all of my strength to propel my staff forward like a javelin, and watched as it pierced the Game Master through the chest. Accompanied by a sound like a sonic boom, our Fusion forcefully impaled the man against the concrete wall of the Station Underpass.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Station Underpass  
39:42 until Time Zero  
39:41…  
39:40…**_

_09:39…  
09:38…_

…  
…

_Timer's gone… We've done it. We survived…!_ Katy felt a wave of relief hit her; though she was bruised, cut in several places, and out of breath… The girl was simply grateful to be alive.

A harsh bout of rasping coughs snapped Katy out of her inattentive state. The Reaper grabbed at the golden spear that had run him through, weakly pulling at it; his feet shuffled around on the ground, failing to gain any traction. He coughed again, spurting static. "Oh… I appear to have lost." With his head hanging limp, the young man laughed feebly, before descending into another coughing fit. "'How can this be?', 'this isn't possible', 'curse you', et cetera, et cetera…" Acting as carefree as always, the man's melodramatic performance was halted by another violent cough.

Katy shivered. In the heat of battle, she had delivered a fatal blow to her enemy… But now that the adrenaline began to wear off, the victorious Player was able to fully take in what she had just done. "Mr. Gentleman…" With a desolate look, the girl watched the maimed Reaper; without thinking, she had referred to him with the nickname she had thought up.

"Please… My name is Jack." He managed to get the sentence out without expelling any more of his Soul than he already had. "I think you… Know me well enough by now to go on a first-name basis… Katy." As a sign of respect, the young man ceased the usage of his playful epithets, and did the same for her.

"Hey, girl." Muki quietly laid a tender hand on his Partner's shoulder, and observed her for signs of destabilization. "… You alright?"

Katy said nothing; she couldn't take her eyes off of her pitiful, dying victim. "… You don't have to go." She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'die'; riddled with guilt, she prepared a _Cure Drink._

With a great deal of effort, the disappearing Reaper wrenched his head upwards and stared into Katy's eyes… Though his own were completely concealed by his messy head of pale hair. "Sure I do." Jack shrugged, uncaring. "We're enemies, you and I. You being a Player, and me being a… Well, I _was_ the Game Master." Another cough. "Not anymore. I'm just plain ol' Jack, now." A frail chuckle escaped his mouth.

Ignoring his words, Katy prepared to patch her old adversary up; first she would have to dispel the staff, but…

"And even if that Pin had Rebooted, which it hasn't, by the way," In spite of his body steadily disappearing, Jack demonstrated an unusual amount of vitality, lazily gesturing with his arm, as if he were completely fine. "I've already returned us to the UG. You can't use it here."

Startled, the two Players examined their surroundings; all of the destruction wrought during their clash had vanished, with the exception of the fragmented slab of rock that Jack was pinned to.

"Why would you-"

"To teach you a lesson, Katy." Jack's arm dropped as he appeared to once again lose his strength; a wilting wallflower inside the cavern of the underpass. "Like I said: You're a Player. I'm a Reaper. You're the 'light', and I'm the 'dark'. You're the 'day', and I'm the 'night'." Giggling a little, the man continued. "You and Master Muki executed me, so that you and your friends could survive. So it goes." Showing a somewhat disturbing lack of attachment to his own life, the man rolled his head around in a circular motion, looking as uninterested as ever.

"Don't you…" Having only been 'born' several days ago, the girl known as 'Katy' had found herself possessing an extraordinary drive; a will to survive that was as strong as anything. Seeing Jack display such a passive view on whether he lived or died… It saddened her. "Don't you care… Jack?"

"'Care'?" The man repeated the word as if it was foreign. "I don't. Should the deer hate the lion? Should the plant-life hate the deer? No," he sighed, speaking as an exasperated parent would, "I hold no ill will towards you. To do so would be childish and hypocritical. But speaking of children…" Jack turned his head, shifting his hair to the left and revealing an amused glint in his eye. "Here comes your little friend."

Katy and Magokoro's eyes flew to the entrance of the Station Underpass, just in time to see an exhausted Koushi Tetsuyou stagger in.

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Station Underpass  
37:36 until Time Zero  
37:35…  
37:34…**_

_Koushi…!_ Seeing the young girl, my heart leapt into my throat; she walked like one who was already dead.

"Tetsuyou." Magokoro acted first; dashing over, he crouched next to Koushi and supported her weight with a helpful embrace. "Now, whatever do you think you're doing here? Crazy child…" He laughed, and helped her over to me.

"Koushi, you shouldn't be so reckless…" Kneeling in front of her, I took her face into my hands; it was clean again… In fact, her entire frame was saturated; I realized that she must have gotten caught in the rain. "… You might catch a cold." I beamed, hoping that it might warm her up, even if just a little.

"… Hiro." The youngster's voice was sounding much better, if still slightly hoarse. It seemed that time really did heal all wounds.

"That's right, Koushi. We're going to go get him now." I promised her, my face resolute. We had come too far to fail. Seeing the girl quiver, I swiftly removed my knitted pullover, threaded her arms through the sleeves, and pulled it over her head.

The name was well deserved.

Unfortunately, that left me in nothing but my skin-tight black tank top. Modest? Reasonably, yes. Warm? Not so much. I was in no position to complain, however. _Huh?_ As I was fitting the garment onto the young girl, I saw it from the corner of my eye; there was something on the back of my pullover. I turned Koushi around, thinking that something had gotten stuck on it… but oddly enough, it was completely clean. _That's strange. I was sure that I saw something… Black._ Had a spider crawled onto my back, (I smiled at the thought,) and crawled off of Koushi's? I searched the ground, but found nothing there, either…

How curious.

Barely noticing that she was now wearing an article of clothing several sizes too large for her, the tiny Player sluggishly shook her head. The giant, woollen sleeves that encompassed her arms swayed around, almost touching the ground. "… Took… Hiro." She spoke again, on the verge of collapsing; it was taking all that she had just to stay conscious.

"I know. I know." I comforted her, stroking her clammy hair. "We know who took him. He's called the 'Knight'." I explained to her in an understanding voice, hoping that by giving her a bit more information, she would be satisfied. "We're going to find them now. Both of them, okay?" Giving her a little shake, I smiled again.

Strangely, Koushi shook her head again. "No…" She spoke in a low voice.

"'No'? What's wrong, Koushi?" I bit my lower lip, hoping that she wasn't going to cry…

"No… I said…" Koushi took a breath, and slowly raised an arm. "… _He_ took Hiro."

Time stopped. The raindrops were suspended in mid-air, leaves rested on the wind, and various wisps of dust froze above the concrete, forming small, spiralling shapes around the ground…

_What is she talking about…?_ Not breathing, I slowly ran my eyes down Koushi's arm, following her outstretched finger… I finally saw who she was pointing to.

Jack the Ripper ran a hand through his hair and pulled it out of his face, laughing as he began to completely fade from sight. His laugh was soft, almost inaudible… But it belonged to a man insane. For the first time since I had met him, I could see both of his eyes… I was filled with a deep-set, instinctual fear.

One was as blue as the sky.

And the other was a deep, bloody crimson.

Heterochromia.

"That's right… _I_ took the boy." Jack spoke to me one final time, before flicking his eyes to Magokoro. "What was that you said, Master Muki? 'While we're wasting time, CHECKMATE is advancing towards the Composer'? Well you'd be right. That was our plan… The whooole time." Imparting a shocking revelation upon me, the Knight fizzled into nothingness, grinning as he faded into oblivion.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"Consider the Pawn's Programming." The King raised a finger, and tapped it against his temple. "The Queen has Imprinted our Pawn with five specific functions." Showing the back of his fist to his comrades, the King extended his fingers outward, obviously indicating 'five'.

"The first is the Proximity Conduct protocol." The Queen volunteered, stepping forward. "Part of our King's Soul has been spliced into the Pawn's; a point has been reached where the Pawn has become an extension of the King himself." Turning to her leader, the Queen continued. "Sir, this would of course be an emergency measure, but if the Pawn were to endanger the operation, you must place yourself in their immediate vicinity, and channel your Imagination through them. Direct control should be simple enough from that moment." The Queen laid out the workings of her Programming, explaining it to the other members more than to the King himself.

"So, you're telling me that the Boss can actually force the Pawn to obey his commands?" The Knight snickered, his differently coloured eyes sparkling mischievously. "Now that's something else. A little time and effort can go a long way, I suppose."

"I think that this level of Imprinting goes beyond a 'little time and effort', Knight." The Rook grunted, thoroughly impressed. _That kind of power's broken… But did it really take her a thousand years to Encode this?_ "… And is there any kind of restriction on this?"

"So long as the King can manage to get close enough to the Pawn to give a verbal command? No, there is none. Don't insult me." Despite her comment, the Queen wasn't offended. Rather, she simply expected the Rook to know her better; she would never even consider using substandard, half-finished Code. "Now then… Shall I explain the next function?"

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Station Underpass  
37:36 until Time Zero  
37:35…  
37:34…**_

"That's not good." Magokoro spoke almost instantaneously. "If the Game Master was a mole for CHECKMATE, then the situation is far worse than we thought." Striding over to my staff, still embedded in the rock, my Partner smoothly pulled it out. "He managed to stall us for approximately 20 minutes; that's quite the head start that they have on us." As my weapon left its stone sheath, it briefly glowed white before reverting to its original form; the Black Pin. Flicking it over to me as one would a coin, Magokoro indicated a murky entrance on the far side of the underpass. "We need to go, _now._"

Catching the Pin with one hand, I kept Koushi held against me with my other. "What about Koushi? Are you saying that we just leave her here…?"

"No," he spoke quickly, "the girl will wake up and simply trail us again. And with CHECKMATE around, she should be staying close to us anyway." Returning to my side, Magokoro lifted Koushi up onto his back. "I'll carry her, let's move."

_He wants to bring her into the battlefield?_ I almost expressed my worry out loud, but he wasn't exactly wrong_… At the very least, we could keep an eye on her at all times. And, out of the three of us, it's not as though the enemy will attack the one who is already unconscious._

"Calm yourself," he comforted me as we walked, "her condition's improving, even if at a very slow pace. We must be getting closer to her Partner." Having said what he had to say, Magokoro accelerated to a brisk jog, carrying the unmoving younger Player with him.

As we crossed the threshold to what I could only assume was the Shibuya River, I stopped; my vision blurred, and my breaths became ragged. I clutched at my chest as a heavy pressure weighed down upon me, making it difficult to breathe… Difficult to _move,_ even. The sensation could have been compared to the effect that the thick, charged atmosphere that Pork City had on me… But this was something slightly different.

"Can you walk?" Magokoro's voice snapped me out of my trance. He looked just a touch apprehensive. "We're approaching the core of Shibuya. Your Soul still hasn't fully stabilized; with the concentration of Imagination that we're walking into, you might be feeling a little light-headed. Do you need a moment?"

'_Stabilized'…?_ Vague understanding fluttered through my mind, but it left as quickly as it came. I felt as though I were in a dream; nonsensical thoughts ran through my mind; sounds echoed, stopped, and started without my consent… But we had no time for this. Hiro needed us. I took a couple of deep breaths as an anxious Magokoro watched me, and focused. Pulling myself out of hypnogogic state, I settled on 'mostly awake' and flashed my friend a confident grin; I walked past him. "I'll be alright. Let's not stop." Even as I said the words, one of my eyelids was fluttering between 'open' and 'closed'. My stride was clearly slower than usual; scrappier than usual.

"Sure. Let's go." He said simply. Of course, I couldn't see his face, (this time due to being positioned in front of him,) but I was quite certain that he could see through my shaky front.

An overhead train zoomed by, rattling the ramparts of the Station Underpass and unsettling loose, powdery rock from the ceiling; the two of us marched further into the Shibuya River, one passenger in tow.

* * *

_**Trail of the Sinner  
32:59 until Time Zero  
32:58…  
32:57…**_

"Say, Magokoro…" I puffed. Dragging myself along, I soon found that I was growing accustomed to the detriments of being within the River… But I was still running slow enough that my Partner had to adjust his own pace by a small margin to accommodate mine. "We _have_ won the Game, right?"

"Correct." He replied; there was no joy in his voice, and yet no sadness either. I supposed that he was thinking that the worst had yet to come.

"In that case, are we back in the RG?" _And… When are our Entry Fees returned?_ The questions came to mind naturally enough, though as I thought on the latter one, it did occur to me that I might come across as sounding a little selfish… I decided to stop at one question, for now.

"Ordinarily, following the completion of the final Mission, the Conductor summons all of the remaining Players for an evaluation and returns their Entry Fees. Passing the evaluation allows you to withdraw from the Game."

"Wait… You're saying that surviving the 7 Days isn't enough? There's an 'evaluation' at the end, as well?" The more I learnt about the Reaper's Game, the more twisted it seemed. The way he had phrased his explanation made it sound as though one Partner could leave another behind. "And what does this evaluation entail?"

"It's a point system." Magokoro replied as we continued forward. "Players are awarded points depending on their performance in the Game. The Player with the highest amount of points gets to go home, simple as that." He seemed unfazed by the inherent cruelty of this system… But perhaps it was just that he had long since accepted it. "Remaining Players can enter the Game again, join the Reapers, or just… Give up."

'_Give up'…_ His meaning was clear: Face Erasure. A cold despair crept over me as my boots crunched against the damp ground of the Shibuya River. Only one person could _really_ 'win' the Game; was Magokoro going to leave without me? Or, even worse… Would I be forced to leave without him?

"Like I said, _'ordinarily'._" My Partner placed a great deal of emphasis on that last word. Certainly, none of the described events had come to pass; quite a bit of time had passed since we had cleared the last Mission. "The fact that nothing's happened yet means… CHECKMATE has most likely interfered in some fashion. The most likely possibility being that they have long since Erased the Conductor."

I gritted my teeth. I was moving faster, now; almost at full speed. "The Conductor… The commander of the Reaper forces, yes?" I re-established, just to be sure of myself.

"Right. Not really counting the Composer, of course."

I nodded. "As for the Conductor… Who were they? Do we know them?"

At this, Magokoro shook his head. "No. I'm afraid that I don't even know his name. But there is almost no doubt that he has been Erased. That would be the reason as to why our Entry Fees have already been bestowed back unto us."

I stumbled, and crashed to the ground. One reason for my sudden fall was my waning strength, of course… But the shock that his words had given me was undoubtedly another.

"Hey, you alright?" Magokoro stopped running, and circled back to me. Taking one hand off of Koushi, my friend helped me back up.

"You have your… Entry Fee back, Magokoro?" I winced, brushing bits dirt and cold mud off of me; my fully-exposed arms had received the worst of it.

"Yeah. Got it back as soon as the Timer disappeared." He raised an eyebrow. "You got your memories back, right? Forgive me for not inquiring… I had assumed that you wanted some time to reflect on them."

"… You could say that." I avoided the question, not wanting to waste any more time than I already had. "Let's hurry, shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, I dashed down the long, dark corridor.

"Very well." He agreed in a quiet voice and sprinted after me, not contesting my answer.

I took a good, long, hard look inside myself. What had changed? Had _anything_ changed? I felt no different. I knew nothing more than I did, nor did I remember anything that I previously hadn't…

…

_No…_ A wave of anticipation hit me as I realized the truth. _There's something… There's a new memory from before the Reaper's Game…!_ The wave, however, ended up gently washing over me before fading away into nothingness; a second realization hit me. _Is this… All there is?_

* * *

I could visualize a hazy recollection of me, lying in one of Shibuya's many streets… On the corner of an alleyway, to be precise. Far away, down one end, was a main street. Presumably. _Around_ the corner on the other hand, not more than 10 metres away, was something far more interesting: A wall of graffiti; colourful, artistic designs danced up and down its surface, decorating the otherwise plain slab of concrete.

…

A man walked over to my past self; he wore a black hoodie and green cargo pants… A Reaper. "You have a rather strong Soul, don't you? I feel like you'd make a good addition to the Game."

_Game? _I… _She_ had repeated, internally; she had no idea what was happening, or where she was…

"The Reaper's Game. A second chance at life… If you win." The man replied. "Won't you join? You're very close to death, young lady."

She opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly distracted by a hot numbness on the surface of her neck.

"Somebody appears to have slit your throat open." He commented, casually watching as I slowly bled out.

At this point, she could feel a noticeably deep cut along her neck; clearly, she had clearly lost a great deal of blood… She was lying in a pool of it.

"Not a very nice thing to do to someone. Especially to a pretty young girl such as yourself." He smiled in a friendly, unaffected manner, as if this was the kind of brutality that he dealt with every day. "So then… Would you like to join my Reaper's Game? I'm sure it would be an exciting one." The man encouraged me, his tone as casual as a father suggesting some trivial event to his son.

My memory failed me momentarily. She could feel an overwhelming urge to say 'yes', to agree to take part in this 'Reaper's Game' that she had never even heard of before… But I couldn't recall why.

Why did she… _I_ feel so inclined to participate in the Game? I couldn't say.

Unable to speak, I had merely nodded; my head slid along the wet ground of the alleyway, staining my auburn hair with more crimson than it already had been.

"Settled, then. I'll be taking your Entry Fee now…" The man grinned, and placed his hand on my head. "Oh, but before I do… I'm the Conductor of the Game. Nice to meet you, Player. I'll be rooting for you." Still grinning, he posed one last question to me. "And what's _your_ name, miss? I'm sure it's a lovely one." He added; a twinkle in his eye.

Her eyes had begun to wander; she tried to respond… But she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember her own name.

"You don't know who you are?" The Conductor cocked his head to the side, curious. "All the more interesting then, eh?"

With that, the vision ended.

I could recall no more… But I knew that very soon, she would awaken to a nightmare without end. A wakeless dream where she would befriend a somewhat unkempt man and a pair of close-knit twins. She would discover the existence of a mysterious, ruthless organization who would take her young friend captive, driving her to rescue him, and stop whatever shadowy goals that the organization was attempting to achieve… Finally she would be here, where I now stand.

Looking back on her entire life.

_My_ entire life.

All seven days of it.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"Why don't you run everybody through our defence against the Producer?" The King suggested. "I'm sure that our comrades are quite apprehensive about how we will prevent Sanae Hanekoma from making contact with the Pawn."

"We're usin' the Bishop's Revel, aren't we?" The Rook raised an eyebrow.

"Naturally, yes, we are," the Queen stepped back into the conversation, "however, 'luck' alone will not deter the Producer; something a little stronger is required, Rook."

"And that 'something stronger' is what you've spent so much of your time Programming, I expect?" The Knight cackled, referring to the millennium that the Queen had spent on the Pawn's Code.

"Of course. What else?" The Queen stated before moving on. "Working in tandem with the Bishop's Soul Revel, the Pawn has a twofold precaution against the Producer's interference: The Proximity Lock being the first, and the Proximity Erase procedure being the second; both Codes instil an innate desire to reject any form of contact with Sanae Hanekoma's Imagination".

"So at the moment, there's a bit of his majesty _and_ a bit of Producer transplanted inside the Pawn's Soul?" The Rook asked, looking surprised; so far, he was asking most of the questions.

"Samples of the Producer's Imagination were simple enough to obtain," the Queen stated matter-of-factly, answering her solder's query, "the rest was simply a matter of perseverance; the Proximity Lock has Programmed the pawn to actively keep a distance from any object, area, or person bearing traces of the Producer's Imagination. If, for instance, a choice is offered between travelling down one street or another, the Pawn will feel compelled to choose the direction that places the Producer at a greater distance. For this purpose, I have also modified the sensitivity of the Pawn's Soul, though this is only a temporary measure; as the Pawn slowly regains a sense of self, that particular modification will begin to fade."

"Any 'restrictions' on this one, Queenie?" The Knight smirked, imitating his compatriot.

"Very few; the Pawn's subconscious commands are absolute. Aside from the Pawn's Soul not functioning properly in and of itself, or the Pawn being rendered completely unconscious-"

"Ah, so then the Pawn _will_ be vulnerable in-between Days, seeing as Players are forced asleep at that time." The Knight ran a hand through his hair; if Hanekoma was to strike at any time, it would be while the Pawn was sleeping.

"The only other possible event that could cause an upset would be the Producer changing the precise composition of His own Soul."

"Is that gonna happen, though?" The Rook stood up straight, looking somewhat put off by the idea.

"Highly unlikely." The swordswoman replied almost instantly. "As impressive as the Producer is, He would need quite a bit of time to rewrite himself… And time is something that He does not have."

The Rook hoped that she was correct.

* * *

_**Rubicon  
24:46 until Time Zero  
24:45…  
24:44…**_

After an eternity of walking, we had arrived at some sort of… Well. _A river…?_ Ahead of us lay a low canal; snow-white rapids swiftly flowed through it, like a current in a stream. "Is that the actual 'Shibuya River'?" I asked Magokoro as we approached the watery barricade.

"This particular point would better be described as a drainage system…" He answered, holding his hand up in front of him. "But that's irrelevant. A barrier has been placed here by CHECKMATE; we can't move forward."

Surprised, I flicked my eyes back over to the blockade. _He's right. I can feel… Something._ Testing the sturdiness of said barrier, I took a few steps forward, but found myself unable to cross the bank. It wasn't as though I physically couldn't… It's more that my body simply did not want to, an invisible force _compelled_ it not to. "I can't move ahead."

"That would be the barrier doing its job, yes." Magokoro quipped dryly.

Undeterred, I tried again… But it made no difference. It felt like I was attempting to walk myself off of a cliff; my survival instincts forcefully rebuffed me at every attempt.

Magokoro only stood there, observing the unseen barrier as I continued to attack the obstacle from different angles: Walking and running yielded equally fruitless results, and when I thought of jumping over the gap instead, I found that my legs would freeze up before I could leave the ground; closing my eyes did nothing, and walking backwards helped in similarly indecisive manner. Even when I spun myself around and leapt in a random direction, it seemed that I would always subconsciously choose to jump _away_ from the stream.

"Magokoro… We've lost at least a few minutes here." I panted, worn out from the multitude of hands that I had played against the barrier. "Is there nothing you can think of?"

"Removing the barrier would take an 'authorized individual', such as the individual who laid the blockade in the first place," he mused, stroking his chin, "the other option would be forcing it open with a collection of strong Souls… And the two of us aren't going to be enough."

"Then what can we do?" Just as another idea formed in my head, I heard something from far behind us. _Footsteps…?_

"While we alone won't be able to cross the River…" Magokoro turned and grinned at the new appearances, pulling his hood up over his head. "The cavalry will help us out in that regard."

"Yo, yo, yo, who you callin' 'cavalry', man? We came here on th' Beat-wagon!" The young blonde boomed, skidding to a halt. "We late to th' party?" Propped a skateboard up on his shoulder, and proudly thumped his fist on his chest.

"Beat, warfare is based on deception, so let's keep it down…!" The younger blonde pressed a finger to her lips and lightly slapped her brother's arm.

"Looks like you've been stuck here for a bit, huh?" The girl in green adjusted her glasses, holding her stuffed cat close to her chest.

"Sorry to keep you waiting…" The boy pulled on one of his spiky, orange locks; he sighed in irritation. "Let's get going, alright?"

Neku Sakuraba and his friends walked up beside us, and faced the barrier with apprehension.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"And what of the Producer's Pieces?" The Knight posed. "Seeing as the four ex-Players are acquainted with Sanae Hanekoma, would the Pawn's Programming prevent contact with them as well?"

"The likelihood is considerably lower," the Queen narrowed her eyes, "after taking on the mantle of Fallen Angel, the Producer has ceased all contact with Sakuraba and His friends."

"After this amount of time, those ex-Players won't be carrying His 'scent' anymore." A rare occurrence; the Bishop spoke, elaborating upon the Queen's argument.

"So, seeing as the Producer spent so much of his time in Wildkat, _that_ area would be off-limits to the Pawn, right?" The Rook offered another point.

"Yes, the Producer's Imagination is practically enshrouding Cat Street altogether. The Pawn won't feel a need to travel down there, any time soon.

"And from what I've seen," the Knight added, circling back to the original topic, "He hasn't communicated with the Composer for quite some time, either."

"Hanekoma must tread lightly. He is Fallen, after all." The King cracked his knuckles, bringing everyone's attention to him. "If the Angels were to notice His presence, He would almost certainly be hunted down and Erased. The Angels are no doubt watching His old café, any ex-Players in the RealGround… And of course, they are watching the Reaper's Game; every day without fail." Descending the stairs, the King signalled for the others to follow. "Perhaps He would be able to evade their detection for a short amount of time, but if He enters the playing field of the Game for more than, say, a few hours… He's finished. That's why we can count on Him being unable to interfere with our plans."

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Trail of the Bygone  
18:53 until Time Zero  
18:52…  
18:51…**_

"Are you guys chasing CHECKMATE?" Sakuraba asked us as we continued down the ever-darker Shibuya River.

"Correct; the Rook and the Bishop managed to slip by while we were confronting the Game Master." Magokoro replied, and pulled his hood further down; hiding his face even more than it already had been. "The Queen could be with them, as well."

_They know about CHECKMATE… Well, they were at Pork City, before we were, after all._

"Our bad, yo," Beat apologized, "bastards jus' took off after a few minutes of fightin', you know?"

"'Live to fight another day', is it?'" I quoted, glancing at the girl who seemed to have a fondness for adages.

Rhyme giggled at me before expanding upon Beat's recollection. "After they escaped, we were stranded on the rooftop for a bit," she noted with a calm voice. "Neku and Shiki returned from their battle moments later; I guess that the enemy didn't feel that they had a decisive victory in reach."

"You could say that…" Magokoro looked at me, then at Koushi, who was still unconscious. "But we think that it was more of a distraction to capture this girl's Partner."

"What!? Why?" Misaki exclaimed, a horrified look on her face.

_Good question. Why _did_ they bother to drag Hiro away with them?_ I had previously wondered about CHECKMATE's reasoning, but I hadn't managed to reach a plausible conclusion.

"That's the kid, Hiro, right?" Neku established. "He looked pretty strong… Are they gonna use him for something?"

"They might…" Magokoro looked down and shifted Koushi's weight into a more steady position. "… They might be planning on using his Soul as a sort of 'battery'."

_A 'battery'?_ Magokoro had previously commented on the raw power of Hiro's Soul… Was CHECKMATE planning on utilizing that?

"And what would they be powering with this… With him?" Rhyme pressed, her face now more solemn.

"Haven't the slightest." My Partner shrugged. "It's just a theory, in any case; I can't imagine many other reasons."

"Maaan, who even knows, yo." Beat punched at the air, looking rather confused. "Ain't no way these CHECKMATE punks got their heads on straight, they _all_ be crazy. Eckspecially th' Queen, yo. Reminds me too much a' Ironface."

_What in the world is he talking about…?_ Just as the thought crossed my mind, I saw that Misaki was looking at Beat with an expression similar to mine.

Somewhat amusing.

"Anyway…" The bespectacled girl spoke, taking one hand off of Mr. Mew and pointing ahead to a large, ornate set of double-doors.

It practically _screamed_ 'endgame'.

"We're close; that door leads to this…" She glanced at Sakuraba, before finishing. "… Ritzy kind of pad. There might be someone waiting for us, so let's stay on-guard, okay?"

"Gotcha, Shiki."

"My thoughts exactly."

"'En garde''s my middle name, yo!"

Magokoro and I both nodded, staying silent.

As we closed in, I took point. "Let's proceed." Re-summoning my staff, (at this point, it felt like second nature to me,) I kicked off and blasted through the doors; touching down in a battle-ready stance, my eyes flew around the surprisingly luxurious room for signs of an ambush… But they landed on something far more shocking. "Hiro…!"

The boy was slung over the shoulder of a tall man; he stood near a table-football unit of all things, staring at the far wall as if waiting for something. The man turned his head towards me. "Oh. Hello, Katy." The Knight laughed smugly. "Good to see you again, but I'm in the middle of something… 'Could I have a moment, please?'"

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"And if even if He _were_ to somehow come into contact with the Pawn, there's the Proximity Erase protocol." The Queen's continuous explanation accompanied CHECKMATE as they stepped down the long, gloomy staircase.

"Let me guess," the Knight ruffled his hair to cover his right eye, allowing his remaining red one to stare the Queen directly in the face, "it involves Erasure on proximity… Yes?"

"It's an expansion of the Lock protocol," The Queen spoke calmly, as if she hadn't even heard the Knight, "I've fine-tuned the Pawn's Soul. While its frequency may be far beneath the level of the Producer's, the wavelength has also been adjusted to mirror that of Sanae Hanekoma's."

"So… If you inverted the Pawn's wavelength, you'd get a wavelength identical to the Producer's?" The Rook's words came slowly; he was unsure as to whether or not he had fully understood.

"For all intents and purposes, yes…" As she answered, the Queen pulled her hair back, and began to tie it into place with a simple, red cord. "… The two wavelengths will cause destructive interference in their structures; simply put: As the two near each other, the Pawn's Soul will cause the Producer's Soul to break apart; eventually leading to His Erasure… And vice versa."

"And of course, the Pawn is already instilled with purpose from the Proximity Lock; an ingrained animosity towards Sanae Hanekoma's Soul. With the additional danger of imminent Erasure, the Pawn, if in the right mental state… Just might attack Him on-sight. Correct?" The King looked over to the Queen, even though he knew that what he had said was accurate.

"Indeed. The Pawn will crave to be freed from the feeling of the Producer's Soul; if the easiest path is running, then of course, that action will be taken." With her dull, blonde hair now in a high ponytail, the Queen drew her stone-grey eyes back to her teammates. "But given the right conditions… Be it that the Pawn has been backed into a wall, developed a strong revulsion to Sanae Hanekoma Himself… Or is simply not in an adequate state of mind, the Pawn _will_ endeavour to Erase the Producer with all possible effort… And that brings me to the Lockout Implementation."

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Dead God's Pad  
16:37 until Time Zero  
16:36…  
16:35…**_

The recreational room, (or, as I would later come to know it, 'Dead God's Pad',) was an oasis in the desert of the Shibuya River. Water flowed beneath a glass-tiled floor, carrying schools of fish below our feet. A pair of cream-white designer lounges sat at opposite ends of the room on either side of an artistic glass table. On the far side of the pad lay a bar with several kinds of expensive-looking bottles of alcohol; none of which were familiar to me. An old-fashioned jukebox adjacent to the bar immediately caught my eye, as did the rather out-of-place table-football set.

Unfortunately, in spite of the relatively relaxing environment of the room, my head only had one thought running through it. _That man… He's still alive…!_ To be completely honest, I thought that we had a problem on our hands. I was _not_ enjoying the prospect of fighting Mr. Gentleman a second time, especially considering the difficulty that the ordeal had earlier posed.

But Magokoro seemed to think otherwise. "_Leo._" A new Pin in hand, my Partner vanished into the air, leaving Koushi on the floor beside me, and reappeared behind the Knight; moving swiftly, he lunged at the man's flank.

"Watch it…!" With a coy grin, the Knight swayed to the side, almost managing to avoid Magokoro's grasp… All of a sudden, the Knight's visage seemed to waver and twist, like a mirage on a hot summer's day… And before I knew it, he was gone.

_He _Warped…!_ But where to?_ All too aware of Jack the Ripper's dangerous ability, I spun around once, twice…_ There!_ "Rhyme…!" I shouted her name as a warning.

"Off with your head…!" A wicked expression on his face, the Knight rematerialized behind the younger sibling, and brought the guillotine down on her skull…

"_Booyaka!_" With an odd bellow, Beat swung his skateboard and fended off the Knight's blade; I could see that it had been left with a superficial nick in its wood.

"Thanks, Beat!" Rhyme huffed. Looking more closely at her, I could see that she had a Pin in her hand; she had been prepared to defend herself, even without her elder brother's assistance.

"Hm. Rather unexpected." The Reaper, who had retreated with a single bound, considered his sword; casting his eye over Beat's relatively un-damaged board, he sighed. "It would seem that the damage I sustained from earlier has slowed me down… How vexatious." The Knight shifted Hiro to better sit on his shoulder, and smirked, looking at me in particular.

"That was a _Shockwave_, yo! You want anotha'?" Flicking his wrist, the eager teenager challenged the Knight with a 'come on' gesture.

Rhyme flicked her own Pin into the air and caught it with a determined look, never taking her eyes off of the enemy.

"_Leo._" Using his Psych again, Magokoro mimicked the Knight; he teleported behind him in the blink of an eye.

"Don't use the same trick twice." The Knight scoffed; whirling around, he slashed at my Partner without hesitation.

Unfortunately for him, Magokoro had pre-emptively jumped locations again; flanking the swordsman again, my Partner tackled the Reaper and wrestled him to the ground.

"Why, you…!" Struggling to keep a hold on Hiro, the Knight aimed to plunge his blade into Magokoro's back.

Rolling to the side, my friend narrowly avoided a fatal wound by seizing the swordsman's wrist and forcing the weapon away from him.

"Really, you're so violent, Master Muki…!"

The two combatants grappled with each other, rolling around the clear floor, and fighting for control over the Knight's sabre; after a few moments, my Partner succeeded in driving it into the aquarium below, sending remaining fish scattering.

At this point, I was already running over to assist Magokoro. But as I closed in, a familiar distortion began to ripple around the Knight…

"_STAY BACK!_" My Partner roared, freezing me in place; I'd never heard him shout so forcefully. A moment later, I understood why.

His form winding around like a vortex, the Knight's body whirled into a single point in the air and disappeared completely from the room, stealing the off-guard Magokoro away with him, and leaving only the unconscious Hiro behind as a small consolation.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Room of Reckoning  
15:48 until Time Zero  
15:47…  
15:46…**_

The air contorted over itself, twisting and turning like a maelstrom in a storm-ridden sea.

Spiralling out of the spatial opening, Magokoro Muki fell to the stone floor, followed by a smirking Knight.

"We've finally arrived here… The spine of Shibuya; the Room of Reckoning." The Knight marvelled at the construction of the chamber; cryptic white trails ran across the smooth, polished surfaces of the walls and floor, converging at a large throne, upon which sat a figure shrouded in white.

"Well, now… How did _you_ get here without My noticing?" The Composer, Yoshiya 'Joshua' Kiryu, found Himself feeling rather surprised; an emotion that He had not had much experience with. Suddenly, the painted, white symbols adorning the Room of Reckoning flickered blood-red; gritting His teeth, the Composer clenched His fingers around the supports of his throne, and concentrated… Their colour slowly faded back to their previous, clean shade.

"Having trouble holding it off?" The Knight chuckled, watching Him from afar. "I see, now. Even if the Bishop were to fail to contain it… There's no way that _You_ would sit back and watch it destroy the city."

The Composer observed the intruder. _Of course, it was CHECKMATE. As I feared._ 7 Days prior, when the Reaper's Game had begun, the Composer had sensed it; the dangerous group of individuals that had long since been exiled from the UG had returned… And they had brought 'something' with them. He could feel it; _something_ looming over Shibuya; something with the potential to completely raze it to the ground.

But what _was_ 'it', exactly?

By Day 3, that 'something' had almost fully surrounded the bounds of the city; wary of the entirety of Shibuya being wiped out at once, the Composer had called on the help of an old friend. And that was Sanae Hanekoma, the Producer.

"That would be our Bishop's Soul Revel: _'Luck Out'._" Absurdly confident, the Knight looked the Composer directly in His blazing white eyes. "Although, it's apparently prone to… Misbehaving, she says." The Knight casually strutted about, keeping one eye on the seemingly-unconscious Muki. "In that event, she refers to it as her _'Bad Time'_ Revel. See, her's is a little special, even by Soul Revel standards… But I'm sure that You can already feel that, can't You?" A single bead of sweat formed on the man's temple; steely as he was, being in the presence of the Composer was no joke. Regardless, he continued. "The Bishop, or rather the Black Cat… She can affect 'luck'. 'Chance'. 'Destiny', 'fate'… Whatever you wish to call it. We have her providence smiling upon us, Composer. Can you say the same?"

The Room of Reckoning wasn't just the 'heart' of Shibuya. In a way, it _was_ Shibuya. If the Room were to be destroyed, calamity would soon befall the city itself; conversely, any harm that was inflicted upon the city were translated directly back into the Room… Or in this case, the Composer Himself; holding a special bond to the UG, the Composer had thus far been able to stave off any ill effects of the Bishop's Soul Revel with His own Imagination; unfortunately for Him, this had only been made possible by remaining physically fixed to the Room itself; leaving the Room of Reckoning would leave Shibuya defenceless to the doom that hung over its neck… However, thanks to Hanekoma, the Composer had one last line of resistance in place.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Dead God's Pad  
14:57 until Time Zero  
14:56…  
14:55…**_

"_Magokoro!_" Without a doubt, his warning had saved me; if I had approached even a step closer, I may have been caught in the Knight's _Warp_ as well… Though, truthfully, I might have preferred that. "He took him…! What do we…?" Panic rushed through me; my form flickered, beginning to destabilize into static. _Just calm down… You can't help anybody if you aren't calm._ With a few breaths, I pulled my body, and mind, back together.

"Bwaaah!" the blond teenager recoiled in shock. "Th-th-th-that guy just disapparated, yo!"

"Your Partner…!" Misaki's brow furrowed in anxiety; clutching Mr. Mew, she turned to the orange-haired boy.

"Crap… Didn't see that coming." Sakuraba cursed to himself.

"Beat, you should take Koushi." Rhyme spoke next; she seemed to be the most level-headed out of the five of us. "Neku, take Hiro; we'll need to keep them safe until they wake up, at th' very least." Her young face held a steady composure as she talked; it seemed to help sturdy the rest of us, as well.

"Oh, uh… Yeah, yeah; good one, Rhyme." Still slightly flustered, Beat dropped his skateboard on the ground, and carefully lifted Koushi into his arms; mounting his board, the blond turned to Neku. "Yo, Neku. You gots this?"

"No… I'm good, I'm good." Hiro stirred, startling Neku, who was just about to pick him up. "Where… Are we…?" Rubbing the back of his head, the young boy turned his head from side to side, clearly perplexed. "Sis!" Noticing Koushi's limp frame resting in Beat's arms, the rust-eyed youth sprinted past Neku over to the two, demonstrating his remarkable vitality. "Mister, is sis hurt?!" Bouncing on the ground impatiently, Hiro shuffled around with a worried look on his face.

"Ah… N-nah, yo, she's… Jus' takin' a nap. Ya dig, kid?" The older boy stuttered, but otherwise managed to reassure the child in a fairly convincing fashion. Seeing that Hiro wanted to hold his sister himself, Beat reluctantly let Koushi down, and propped her next to her brother.

Without a word, Hiro raised his arms up and tenderly held his sister's face in his hands; standing on his toes, the boy brought her close and touched her forehead against his own.

A few seconds later, Koushi's breathing seemed to slow, and the ever-present, pained expression on her face faded away, leaving the girl looking much more peaceful.

Hiro's sullen expression broke into a heartfelt smile. "Yeah. I'm here, sis." He told her in a quiet voice, before motioning for Beat to release his sister.

Beat hesitated, looking to us for a moment before relenting; if he refused, Hiro would likely ask for his sister until he complied, anyway. "Here ya go… Careful." The young blond slowly handed Koushi's tiny figure over to her brother, keeping an eye on Hiro to ensure that her weight wasn't too much for him to handle.

With minimal effort, Hiro took Koushi into his arms, piggybacking her slightly larger frame onto his own. "Oh, guys… The Game Master's with CHECKMATE! The jerk beat me and sis-"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Neku narrowed his eyes, looking quite serious. "The Game Master's on CHECKMATE's side?"

_Right… I probably should have brought that up, earlier._

"Yo, Mr. H's mail didn't say nothin' about CHECKMATE intrilfatin' th' Reapers, yeah?" Beat looked to Sakuraba.

His friends did the same.

"No." The boy shook his head; his orange locks swayed with it. "He just warned me that they were trying to Erase Jo-… The Composer. He also told me that he'd placed a Reverse Reaper Decal on the River for us to use." Apparently this 'Mr. H' was some kind of informant for these four. "Other than a few other bits of advice, he didn't tell me much…" Looking down at the floor, Sakuraba seemed to fall into a contemplative state; he was pulled out of it very quickly.

"We can think later; for now, let's just get a move on!" Punching the air, Misaki encouraged everyone with a charged, optimistic shout.

As ready as everyone else, I re-prepared myself. _I'm coming, Magokoro._ Taking a resolute step forward… I collapsed to the ground; my strength unexpectedly drained away from my body.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Room of Reckoning  
14:57 until Time Zero  
14:56…  
14:55…**_

"Think of it as a 'gamble' of sorts." The Knight continued. "The Bishop's Revel-" At that moment, the Knight was hit with a terrible presentiment; intuitively, the man _Warped_ to the far end of the Room of Reckoning. And not a moment too soon.

With a deafening boom, the point that the Knight had just stood at was struck by a column of light; photons danced around the shining pillar, forming phantom images of angels and cherubs descending to the ground… But then, it was all gone.

The Composer eyed the Knight with curiosity. Thinking that his goal was to stall Him, the Composer had simply elected to eliminate him without further ado. After all, if ever there was a time to be cautious, it was now; with almost all of his focus on preventing the effects of the Bishop's Soul Revel from reaching Shibuya, the Composer had a significantly smaller pool of resources from which to defend Himself. Another surprise, however: The odd man had anticipated His attack, and seemingly bent the fabric of space itself to evade it. Curious.

"Well, now…" The Knight panted heavily; he was certain that if he had been a second slower, he would have been completely obliterated. "That's the Bishop's Revel for you." Catching his breath, the Knight wondered if he would have, in fact, been able to survive that assault without the effects of the Bishop's _Luck Out_ on him. "You should really keep all of Your attention on keeping Shibuya alive right now. In fact, I'd say that the blast took a _great_ deal of effort on Your part…" In spite of his own analysis, the Knight crouched low and readied himself for the possibility of a subsequent assault. _Maybe it'd be better if I just left, for now…?_

* * *

** Side**

_**Dead God's Pad  
09:45 until Time Zero  
09:44…  
09:43…**_

The scent of dechlorinated water passed by me. _Does that aquarium have a leak?_ Realizing that I was capable of thought, I reasoned that I must have been conscious to do so. Or, at the very least, been lucid enough to force myself awake. Wrenching my eyelids open, I pushed myself into a standing position and pinched my cheeks a couple of times to keep myself awake. _Huh… I'm wearing my pullover. Who put it back on me…?_

"Ms. Vio!" Hiro's voice helped to cement myself to a state of cognizance… Just a little.

"What happened…?" Our situations had been reversed; now _I_ was awakening, and it was Hiro who was greeting me. "Where are the others?" Looking around the room, I could see that only Hiro, Koushi, and I remained. A slight aching throbbed in my temples; I stopped moving my head.

"You just sorta conked out there." Hiro walked around, checking me from all angles. "The others went ahead to rescue the Big Guy." He clarified, adjusting his grip on Koushi. "They told me to stay here with you until you woke up." He added, a proud note in his voice.

"… Well. Then we should go and assist them, shouldn't we?" I replied, more or less fully awake. "But… Where's the exit?" Re-examining the room, I found that I could see no other entryway other than the door that I had broken down.

"Ah, I got that." The boy grinned, laid Koushi down on one of the lounges, and scratched the tip of his nose. Keeping one hand on Koushi's, Hiro pulled out his Player Pin and began to Scan the area. "Just follow me." Eyes closed in thought, Hiro was searching for something. Searching, searching… Then he flickered and disappeared from the room.

A little taken aback, I pulled out my own Player Pin; admittedly, I was a little rusty at Scanning. _Just focus. Open up your senses…_ Drawing in a strangely earthy breath, I executed my own Psych… _Hm. What's that?_ Over by the bar, there was a concentrated deposit of Imagination… Scanning the blip on my radar, I soon found a mental image of another set of carved, wooden doors pushing its way into my mind's eye.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Trail of the Judged  
08:39 until Time Zero  
08:38…  
08:37…**_

"Never thought we'd come down here again." Neku Sakuraba gave a passing look to the graffiti, CAT's graffiti, which decorated the walls. Old memories of all kinds resurfaced, instilling a hybrid of mixed feelings in Neku's heart.

"Yeah, man," Beat piped up, pointing at an odd pair of objects; a vending machine lay against an upturned car; the glass panels on both articles were cracked; some were even fully shattered. A few cans from the vending machine were scattered about the cracked stone ground; it was almost as if the two things had been dropped from a height, "see that? Tha's where Tabooty got crunched, yo." By the time that he had finished the sentence, the four compatriots had run a distance past the crime scene.

Shiki looked at the two boys, a relatively blank look upon her face. "I never met him, myself… But judging from the way you two always talk about him-"

"Yeah, you're better off, Shiki." Neku assured her, glad that she never had to face _that_ man, Sho Minamimoto.

"True," Beat agreed, "he was hella wack, Shiki. And I mean _hella_ wack, yo."

"If it makes you feel any better, I never even saw his face, Shiki." Rhyme chimed in; she had been a Noise sealed into a Pin at the time; not an experience that she could fully recall; thankfully, she didn't much care to in the first place.

"Quiet… We're here." Neku hushed his associates, and took a long, hard look at the passageway before him. Past it lay the Room of Reckoning. _Last time I was here, Josh shot me._ He smirked, thinking about how anguished he had felt upon waking up for the fourth, final time in the Scramble Crossing. Thinking that he had been forced into the Reaper's Game for yet another round, Neku had cracked; crying, the boy had screamed at the sky. He screamed and screamed; he screamed until his throat was torn and bloody, and then he had screamed even more. But when he had finished emptying the contents of his heart out for the world to see, Neku had discovered something wonderful: The world could, indeed, _see._ At that moment, the entire Scramble Crossing came to a halt; the one place in Shibuya that was always filled with noise and commotion was silenced by the agony of a 15 year-old boy. When a random passer-by had edged over to ask him what was wrong, Neku's first reaction was disbelief. Surely, this man was a Player. _That_ was how he was speaking with him… Right? After a few interactions with the other street-crossers, Neku finally accepted it: Joshua had decided to spare Shibuya after all.

_But here we are again… Dragged back into this hell. Only this time, it's not us who needs saving._ Nodding to his friends, Neku led the three into the Room of Reckoning.

Casually striding in the path of the group, the King of CHECKMATE greeted them with a chilling smile. "Surprise."

_**Room of Reckoning  
07:28 until Time Zero  
07:27…  
07:26…**_

A terrible pressure weighed down on the four ex-Players as the King took a step towards them.

"Careful, everyone." A calm, if strained, voice cautioned the four. "The Knight only just now retreated… But do not take _this_ man lightly."

_Who said that…?_ Neku's attention briefly moved to the figure on the throne. _Is that… Josh?_ Of course, the boy had never seen the Composer in His true form before. The sight was rather… Shocking.

Cloaked in light, the Composer's ever-moving aura made it difficult to determine where His body began, and even more difficult to figure out where it ended.

The runes on the walls flashed red again.

"Eyes on me, Sakuraba." The King snapped his fingers. "You don't even realize that I've played you. _None_ of you do.

"Wait… What do you mean?" Shiki eyed the King, confused.

"Yo, why is you talkin' like that, man? Snap out of it!" Beat fumed, slamming his fist against the wall in an aggressive manner.

"Here is what is about to happen." The King whispered, his voice trembling with anticipation. "You are going to… No." He shook his head, and corrected himself. "I am _ordering_ you all… To _kill_ 'Magokoro Muki'." Raising a hand, the leader of CHECKMATE pointed at Neku and his company. "You cannot refuse me. With your very own hands, you will break 'Katy' by murdering her beloved Partner before her eyes." He finished, laughing quietly.

"Did you hit your _head_ or something, punk? We ain't gonna do _jack!_" Beat shot back, quite infuriated.

"Beat… Calm down." Rhyme advised her brother in a low voice.

Neku stayed silent; the wheels in his head slowly began to turn…

"Well, I suppose that you don't _have_ to kill 'Magokoro Muki'." The King tilted his head to the side, thoughtful; his long hair swayed to the side. "If you want to roll over and die _now,_ by my hand… That's an outcome that I wouldn't mind terribly-"

"That's enuffa that, Mushin." A gruff voice called from behind the King.

"Hey, you're…!" Shiki cried out.

"Mr. H…!" Neku exclaimed, seeing the familiar face of his old friend and mentor, Sanae Hanekoma.

* * *

"Sanae… You took your time." The Composer managed to greet Hanekoma; the toll of holding off the Bishop's Revel from Shibuya was becoming more draining by the second.

"Oh, you're up." The King taunted. "I had assumed that you were taking a nap somewhere, Hanekoma." Mushin spat; his tone venomous.

"You weren't very smart to come here, Mushin." Hanekoma responded evenly. "I've already Erased your Proxy's Programming; if you thought you could just sneak in here and Erase Josh while he was vulnerable… Well, you'll have to get past the five of us, first." He concluded, winking to Neku. "Got my mail, Phones?"

"… Yeah." Neku couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I did."

"Enough talk, puppets." The King tilted his head back, looking down upon his enemies. "You'll all bend to me soon enough…!" Quite abruptly, The King interrupted the exchange, lunging towards Neku, his eyes burning with a mysterious light.

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Trail of the Judged  
05:41 until Time Zero  
05:40…  
05:39…**_

"Graffiti…" My mind wandered as I observed the wall of art that encompassed this new passageway.

My Entry Fee had at last been returned… Imagine my surprise, though, when my 'life's memories' turned out to encompass a total of about two minutes' worth of time. Where was the remainder? _Was_ there even a remainder? My earliest memory was still my arrival in Shibuya and my subsequent walk around the city. I could recall finding my way to Udagawa… A few minutes were irretrievable, however; the next thing that I could remember was me, lying on the ground; bleeding out…

Then, I was in the Reaper's Game.  
And now, I was here.  
Who had killed me? That was the last piece of the puzzle… It was so close…

"Ms. Vio, you okay?" Hiro's query pulled me back to the present. "You look worried."

"Maybe just a little." I smiled. "… You should stay behind, Hiro. You might be strong enough to carry Koushi," I watched as Hiro ran alongside me; the weight of his sister not affecting him in the slightest, "but if we find ourselves in an altercation…"

"I'm not leavin' you, Ms. Vio!" The boy declared, confident in himself. "Even without all th' others, I have you and Koushi on my side." Turning his head, Hiro checked on his sleeping sister. "When I need her, she'll be there. I know it."

Before I could protest further, I realized that we had arrived at the end of the tunnel; white light, (occasionally turning red,) emitted from the next entryway. "Very well, just… Be cautious. Run, if you need to."

Hiro simply grinned again, the same confident expression on his face.

And so, we had arrived at our final destination. _The Room of Reckoning…_ How did I know that? I knew quite a few things that I shouldn't have; when was I told that the contestants in the Reaper's Game were all deceased? Nobody told me that; in fact, I was the first one to mention it… But as I have just stated, nobody told _me._  
The majority of this was attributed to my own Partner. Magokoro had theorized, much, much earlier, that I was a 'vacuum'. He wasn't entirely wrong; with a Pact linking the two of us, Magokoro's knowledge was bleeding from him into me; combat data, battle instincts, strength of Soul… And many other things, besides. It left Magokoro no weaker than ordinary; after all, I was more 'borrowing' his power, than anything else. The negative effects on Magokoro were negligible.

Yet, for all of Magokoro's ability… I had walked into the Room of Reckoning, only to see him half-dead upon the floor.

_**Room of Reckoning  
04:02 until Time Zero  
04:01…  
04:00…**_

Speechless, I slowly walked over to my friend, falling to the ground beside him, I brought my unsteady hands to his face. "M-… Magokoro…" He was so cold. "… Magokoro…! M-…" I couldn't. It took all of my willpower to keep myself quiet.

_Crick… Crackle…_

His body began to break apart.

I couldn't breathe. Beyond the fact that we were Partnered, the idea of living on without Magokoro to… Accompany me…

It hurt. To say the least.

"… Hey." After what seemed an eternity, a weak word caught my attention.

"H-Hey…!" The paralysing fear that gripped me faded away… Only an abnormal anxiety remained at this point. "Who… Did this to you, Magokoro?" The lump in my throat would only allow me to choke out a whisper; if I spoke any louder my voice would no doubt break.

"… You okay, girl?" Magokoro was speaking even quieter than I was… It was all that he could manage. "Best be… Careful." With a great deal of effort, my friend managed to bring his hand to mine. "They've… _Turned_ on us."

I could feel it when he touched me; his emotions had flooded into my Soul, raw and unchecked.

Rage. Pure, unadulterated fury; a feeling of betrayal that burned more fiercely than the heart of an exploding star. Such a feeling… As if Magokoro's very closest friends had been killed, right in front of him.

I couldn't think straight. Hot tears spilled out, and rolled down my cheeks. My already unstable Soul shaken even further by this unacceptable reality. "You can't die, Magokoro…!" I gritted my teeth, trembling with emotion; my vision blurred.

"Get away from him."

_Who…?_ Somehow, my mind registered words being spoken to me. I turned, subconsciously moving in front of Magokoro, like a lioness protecting her cub. "Sakuraba…?"

I couldn't believe it; Neku Sakuraba, an ex-Player, stood before me. His hand was outstretched towards me, glowing with a sinister light. "I said," his entire demeanour was threatening; his face, his voice… He even had a Psych prepared. For what? To use on me?

I had believed in him. _No, this… No, no, no, this can't be… _I shook my head in denial, pulling Magokoro closer to me. _They're being controlled, they have to be._ Terror and desperation overtaking logical thought, I scrambled to think of an explanation.

"Listen to Neku, Katy." Misaki joined her Partner, her eyes opened wide; they shone with an ominous glare behind her neat spectacles.

"Misaki… Why-" I had so many questions, but I was interrupted before I could ask even one.

"You'd better back off 'fore you do somethin' you'll regret, yo." And now Beat, as well; the three towered before me, sending spikes of fear through me.

"Beat… You…" A shuddering gasp escaped my body.

"Don't touch him." Even Rhyme, the 'voice of reason' had joined the others, all talking at once, telling me to abandon Magokoro… A splitting headache began to form in my skull.

"Rhyme… You, too?" I felt as cold as death; my senses began to fail me.

"What's wrong?"  
"Katy, don't you trust us?"  
"Come over here, let's talk about this."  
"Leave him there."  
"Hey, you don't look so good."  
"Listen to us, Katy."  
"Feelin' sick?"  
"We can explain, really."

I couldn't tell who was saying what; their voices overlapped, meshing in with each other, swirling around and trapping me in an echoing twister of sound. I was seeing red; I had never felt such revulsion before… _How dare they do this to him…!_ My heart rate increased, my breathing rate increased… Everything was going off of the charts. I was now seeing double; ten figures in all: Two of Sakuraba, two of Misaki, as well as two of each of the siblings… Oh.

That's right… There was one more individual present, standing by the ex-Players' sides. From the way he carried himself, I could see that the man was their leader; their commander. Their 'King'.

_**00:09 until Time Zero…**_

An older man wearing a grey vest over a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, accompanied by a pair of dark jeans… He reached over to me, a smile on his face.

_How sickening._

"It's all over now, girl. Don't worry; we've won." He chuckled. Was he boasting to me? "Just take my hand. Walk right this way." The man laughed again, as if trying to comfort me. But just as he leaned in closer…

_**00:04 until Time Zero…**_

"_DON'T TOUCH ME!_" At last, I had snapped. Screaming, I felt something take over; having lost control, I merely observed, almost as if I wasn't even in my own body, as my hand thrust forward and forcibly shoved the man backwards. "_I'LL KILL YOU!_" I let loose a bellowing roar, shaking the Room of Reckoning to its centre. "_I'M GOING TO KI-_"

"Execute the _Lockout,_ Katy_._"

_**00:01 until Time Zero**_

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

"As even the newest of Support Reapers know, the title of 'Composer' is not merely inherited. It's _earned._" The King adjusted his vest to better sit underneath his hooded cloak. "How does one become the Composer? Simply Erase the Composer, and the 'job's yours', so to speak." The King then pulled his hood back over his head, as CHECKMATE reached the lower end of the grand staircase; their footsteps echoed throughout the narrow, stone passageway that they were now travelling through. "Shibuya recognizes you as 'worthy', and Pacts with you, the new Composer."

"Whoa, what's that about Pacting with Shibuya?" The Rook blurted out. "You're sayin' that the city's alive, or something?"

"I'd like to think so." The King smiled. "When I say 'Pact with Shibuya', I am of course not referring to the physical city… Rather, the 'consciousness' that has developed from the steady amalgamation of stray Imagination and bits of Soul, constantly being respired by the citizens of both the RealGround and the UnderGround; the source of all free-roaming Noise… _That_ is the living 'will' of 'Shibuya'."

"Never heard you talk about it like that, your majesty." The Rook shook his head, slightly sceptical.

"It is only a theory of mine, Rook." The King returned.

"As such," the Queen took control of the conversation once more, "one of us must decisively Erase the Composer if we ever hope to take control of the UnderGround."

"Problem is, none of us are even _close_ to being strong enough to do that." The Knight joined in. "The Composer is taking the strain of preventing the Bishop's Revel from touching Shibuya; even with that, the Boss wouldn't be able to Erase Him, right?" The question was clearly rhetorical, but the swordsman had asked in such a playful manner that it was fairly difficult to discern.

"The Composer's vitality is impressive; recent events involving Neku Sakuraba have renewed His hope in Shibuya; His Will to keep _it_ alive, and by extension, Himself."

"So this 'Lockout Implementation' thing's gonna help us Erase the Composer, you're saying." The Rook tried to connect the dots in his mind, frowning.

"Not directly." The Queen sighed, recalling the centuries that she had spent developing this Code. "The Lockout Implementation, which is activated by the King through Proximity Conduct, has one, simple function: The Lockout is a one-use Psych with a range of about 108 metres; it is capable of identifying the specific Soul signatures for Daisukenojo Bito, Raimu Bito, Shiki Misaki, Neku Sakuraba, the Composer, and the Producer. Our penultimate goal is to activate Lockout whilst all six relevant parties are within its reach. The Code stored inside of the Pawn will induce an immediate halt of activity in the targets' Souls, placing them into a 'frozen state' of sorts."

"It would only last for a few seconds… However, in this state, their natural defences would be reduced to a woefully insignificant level. It is at this point that the Composer will be vulnerable to Erasure."

"Brilliant." the Knight tittered, eyeing the King. "And I assume that you'd take the opportunity to rid yourself of the other five… Pests."

"Yes." The man confirmed with a nod. "Naturally."

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Room of Reckoning  
Time Zero**_

Someone had said that… But who? "Execute the _Lockout,_ Katy_._"

The words had stopped me in my tracks; for a full second I couldn't move, speak, think… I was frozen in time.

But then, _it_ happened.

Preceded by a high-pitched, wailing screech, streams of numbers burst from my body; blood-red digits not unlike the Timer that I had grown so accustomed to. Tendrils of digits shot out from my arms, my torso, my legs… Splitting into little clusters, the vines each shot off to a different person. Sakuraba, Misaki, Beat, Rhyme… And even the man in the vest.

My back felt as though it was on fire; as if someone had branded me with a white-hot iron.

Turning to my left, I realized that there was one more. Someone who I hadn't had the chance to take note of: A godlike figure upon a gargantuan throne of concrete; His form wrapped in blazing white… He had to have been the Composer. "Sanae…!" He called somebody's name; His voice was low and tense with worry. Who was He talking to?

"Sorry, J… He got us." From behind me, I barely made out someone speaking over the continuing shrieking sound.

The network of chains that had ensnared the Room began to emit a bright light, and the unrelenting noise heightened in both volume and pitch… the ex-Players seemed to be yelling, but I couldn't hope to hear them, now.

Louder, louder, even louder… At this point, I had already been completely blinded; the Room of Reckoning was pure white…

And then, it all came to an end.

The sound ceased, and the light faded. Falling to the ground, I took several deep breaths. _What… Was that a Fusion…?_ Still on the ground, I twisted my neck upwards; everyone had disappeared; only I remained… Well, I, as well as a few others.

"Ms. Vio!" I felt Hiro grab me from behind; turning me around, he pulled me up into a sitting position. "That was radical! How'd you do that?!" He exclaimed, his voice full of appropriately childlike wonderment.

"What did I do…?" As I answered, it occurred to me that I could think clearly once more; the powerful, disorienting emotions that had unexpectedly flooded into me had left just as swiftly.

"It would seem as though you've transported the King away, somewhere. Though, the others were all caught up as well, I think…?" The girl's tired eyes intently surveyed the Room.

"Koushi!" I gasped, happy to see her up and about.

Though she seemed a little exhausted, she was without a doubt much better than earlier.

"Hello, miss." Hiro's elder sister smiled warmly. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone… I feel much better, now."

"Not 'miss', sis," Hiro insisted, "it's 'Ms. _Viiio!_" Her brother stressed the second word, wanting to get his point across.

Examining the young child once more, I speculated that she had revived while I was with my own Partner. "Oh, Magokoro!" Feeling rather selfish for having forgotten my friend, I quickly looked back to where I had last laid him.

There. He hadn't moved an inch… But he was still disintegrating; tiny bits of his form broke off, before fluttering into the air and dispersing into wisps of light.

"Magokoro!" I cried, running over to him, I lifted his head off of the ground, and attempted to shake him awake. "Look, they're gone! It's… Its's done…!" Guilt and hesitation flitted through me, but the feeling quickly passed. Of course, I was not even remotely sure as to why or how the others have disappeared; I wasn't about to complain, however. "It's all over; we've survived! Just stay with me, please!" I looked at his unconscious face, longingly. All he had to do was wake up. He just had to pull through this, and nothing else would matter. We were all alive.

"… Gone?" The faintest word escaped from Magokoro's lips.

"They're gone," I repeated, cradling him in my arms, "it's only the four of us, now." I looked back at the twins.

Koushi was still smiling, despite looking as if she was about to collapse.

Hiro, on the other hand, was standing around, making faces with his tongue sticking out.

"… Tetsuyous?" Another whisper; if the Room was not dead-silent, I likely would have missed it.

"That's right, just us and Hiro and Koushi, " I nodded, hoping with all of my heart that he would just get up, "we can all go back to Ramen Don. How does that sound?" I did my best to sound cheerful. "I'll make you my personalized Mystic Ramen; I'll add some sea bream, or-or maybe I could try some natto…You'll need to tell me what you like, okay?" I gave my friend an enthusiastic shake, hoping to at least get him to open his eyes.

"Hate… Natto…" Magokoro coughed, forcing a small laugh.

"No, natto then; understood, loud and clear," I nodded my head rapidly, "how about you just tell me what you want? I'll work off of that, Magokoro."

"What I want?" He echoed in an absent-minded manner.

"Yes, anything you want." I smiled as his eyelids began to flutter.

"Anything, huh…?" Magokoro croaked, now smiling ever so slightly. "Well… Truth be told …"

_Shunk!_

My eyes widened in shock; I might have dropped Magokoro to the floor if he hadn't already pulled himself into a sitting position; it was a very smooth movement.

Perfectly synchronized with the way he had stabbed his hand into my stomach.

"I'm running low on energy, here. Would you mind terribly if I took some of yours?"

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Imaginary Plane  
21:59:23 until Time Zero  
21:59:22…  
21:59:21…**_

"Greetings, Queen." The King modulated into the depths of the Imaginary Plane, greeting his second-in-command as he did so.

"I'm currently stalling Sakuraba and Misaki." The swordswoman had given the King a sort of situation report without his asking.

"Excellent. Wait, say, 5 minutes more before releasing the two." With that minor detail out of the way, he switched topics; the reason he was visiting. "The Pawn's modified Programming has stabilized; would you care to fill me in on the new mechanism?" The King had a rough idea of course, but the Queen was the expert in this field, not him.

"New effects? Well, it's what you've already hypothesised," the Queen looked around the empty space that they were standing in, "the Lockout's Code has been spliced with the Erase and Reset Protocols' remaining Code, using the Proximity Lock as a base. Going into more detail than I had earlier… The targets' Souls would be broken apart and blended together, forming a new entity entirely; this individual would be part-Composer, of course; Erasing it would still achieve our ultimate goal."

But you did say that the Producer would be contained separate to the other five?" The King recalled their meeting.

"The Producer's Soul is on a different level to the others'; as an outlier, it would be sealed in a different form, yes… But as to what that 'form' is, it would depend on what's available."

"Not to worry, then," the King chuckled, and turned to leave, "I have a most fitting idea in mind."

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Room of Reckoning  
Time Zero**_

"M-Magokoro…" I coughed up a small amount of static, though it was nothing compared to the volume that was bleeding out of the gaping wound in my abdominal area. Magokoro's hand had completely pierced my skin; I could feel it moving inside me…

Not very pleasant.

"Hold _still,_ please… I need to drain you a bit, here." He clicked his tongue, sounding quite like an inconvenienced dentist.

As he dug a little deeper, the shock triggered another flashback…

* * *

I could visualize a hazy recollection of me, lying in one of Shibuya's many streets… On the corner of an alleyway, to be precise. Far away, down one end, was a main street. Presumably. _Around_ the corner on the other hand, not more than 10 metres away, was something far more interesting: A wall of graffiti; colourful, artistic designs danced up and down its surface, decorating the otherwise plain slab of concrete.

…

But there was somebody else.

It was Sakuraba, the boy with the orange hair. He was on the ground, right next to the graffiti wall. _What was he doing there?_ I wondered. _And for that matter… Why am _I_ on the ground?_ The answer was the same, for the both of us.

Pushing myself to remember more, I saw it: a sickeningly red colour; blood, flowing freely out of an open wound in the boy's body.

I soon discovered that he wasn't the only one. The past instance of me brought her hand up in front of her face; it was dyed a disturbingly similar shade of red. I could feel the deep, deep gash in her stomach… _My_ stomach.

"Seems that we've stumbled onto something interesting, here." A deep, commanding voice caught my attention. "The Composer just shot that boy… Now, why did He do that, I wonder?" The voice's owner was a man wearing a dark pair of business pants, and a white, collared shirt that sat underneath an expensive-looking vest; his unshaved face was mostly obscured by the hood of a ragged, black cloak, though from what I could see, his chin was rather strong-set; his nose and cheekbones equally so. "No matter, that does not concern us, does it? You just happened upon this scene by chance, did you not?" Chuckling, the man kneeled next to me, and placed his hand upon my head.

That's right… I had found my way to Udagawa, eventually. My arrival had quickly been interrupted by a number of gunshots ringing throughout the district; just around the corner, in fact. I poked my head out around the bend in the alleyway, just in time to see a tall man running away.

… I believe that his shoulder was bleeding.

Two were left at the shootout; the boy, Sakuraba, and another young man who I had never before seen. His hair was platinum blond, almost snow-white, in fact; dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, his only other feature that had particularly caught my attention was the colour of his eyes; a deep, sparkling violet.

Just like mine.

_Bang!_

I had no time to react; the violet-eyed boy had shot Sakuraba dead-on; curiously, he dropped what appeared to be a Pin onto the orange-haired youth's shirt before walking away.

I pulled my cell phone out, and quickly dialled the emergency number… Should I have requested an ambulance? The police? The former would have been better, I'm sure.

Unfortunately for me, I had never made it that far.

"Oh, you're left-handed? That's interesting."

Startled, I began to turn around… Only to have a short blade plunged into my gut; my body dropped to the ground, its strings cut.

So, now I knew. I knew how I had died. But _why?_

The same question ran through my past self's mind as she continued to bleed out in the dirtied alley.

"Goumaki Mushin's my name. What would yours be, candidate?"

The moniker confused her; what was she a candidate for? She was too weak to think.

The King's grip tightened on her skull. He grinned as she cried out in pain. "Actually, don't bother… You'll forget it soon enough."

She blacked out.

* * *

I reflexively clamped my hand over Magokoro's wrist. "Magokoro…" I could feel my strength fading.

Magokoro's body, on the other hand, had begun to repair itself.

A thought crossed my mind; it wasn't the best time nor the best place… But I had just realized something.

"_Timer…!?"_

"_Did you miss it? Maybe it disappeared before you looked…? Come to think of it, since you're left-handed, maybe the Timer was applied to your dominant hand…"_

A chilling uncertainty coursed through me. "… How did you know that I was left-handed?" I cried out again; he had twisted around inside of my injury. "You're hurting me…!"

"That's a little better." Ignoring me, Magokoro made a passing, nonchalant comment and carelessly ripped his hand out of me.

I yelped in discomfort, clenching at my stomach with one hand, and supporting my own weight with the other; my arm trembled as I leant on it.

"Hey, Big Guy!" Hiro raised his voice, alarmed. "What're you doing?!" His small hands balled into fists.

Koushi gasped, and brought a hand to her mouth. "Mr. Muki…!"

"Oh, you two." The way that Magokoro spoke… It sent a chill down my spine. "You've both served your purpose well; there's no reason for you to be here anymore." Casually, he waved the siblings off.

_What's going on…?_ With the majority of my vitality stolen, I was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. All I could do was observe.

"Screw that!" Hiro yelled, pulling a Harmonizer out of his pocket. "Why'd you hurt Ms. Vio?!"

"I was actually on the verge of death there for a moment, you see… I needed a bit of a 'top-up'." Magokoro laughed for a moment, before taking on a deadly, serious expression. "Though you really are being bothersome. If you don't leave now… I'll have to make you. 'kay?" He took a step towards the two, slow and deliberate. The air grew deathly cold.

"Sis, hit him with a Level 3 Fusion!" Hiro called upon Koushi.

Recognizing the imminent threat, the girl reluctantly complied; the two let loose their full power, shining with a solar incandescence.

"_Please excuse us…!_"  
"_Nah, don't bother!_"

Koushi raised her hand upwards and generated a sparking lance of blinding light.

Hiro, meanwhile, was already flying towards Magokoro at breakneck speed.

"Stop…!" I choked out, unable to stop the conflict myself.

With a feral growl, Hiro wound back and struck my Partner with the force of a meteor… Or rather, he might have, had Magokoro not already flickered into nothingness. "Where'd he go…?!" Hiro shouted, whipping his head around; after a moment of searching, he found him; we both did.

Magokoro callously seized Koushi by the neck, and lifted her up into the air; Koushi feebly struck at him with her spear, but he easily caught it with his other hand.

"_Sis!_" Hiro again leapt off of the ground, cracking its smooth, stone structure and sending him back the way he had come. Too late, however.

Magokoro spun the lance around in his hand and admired is craftsmanship for a brief second, and promptly ran its user through the chest.

The light faded from Koushi's metallic eyes, turning them a dull grey. Her entire body convulsed before going limp; her limbs swaying around like a doll's. And her face, usually so full of life and energy… Now bore a frighteningly blank stare.

_Crick… Crackle…!_

An instant later, Koushi Tetsuyou's figure cracked, and exploded into static; the last wisps fading into oblivion without so much as a 'goodbye'.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

Silence.

Koushi Tetsuyou's Erasure was followed by silence. Not the peaceful kind of silence that you might find in a library, no. It was the kind of silence that encompassed a graveyard; an absolute vacuum, devoid of any kind of noise. Nobody breathed, nobody moved; not even the wind could be heard; no rustling of clothing, no feet scraping along the ground… Nothing. The whole world stopped had stopped for a moment, mourning the loss of the pure, young soul who had never even seen her end coming.

And then, time started to flow, once more.

Hiro was the first to react… Though, perhaps, it would be better to say that he was the first to _not_ react; having failed to reach his sister in time, the boy fell to his knees, staring in disbelief. Whereas Katy had rejected the idea that her Partner could die, Hiro Tetsuyou couldn't even comprehend the notion in the first place. Wordless, he looked on as Koushi's body dissolved into static; her dust scattering into the air. What was happening? Why had his sister disappeared? It didn't make sense. Hiro couldn't even form a coherent thought in his mind, much less form a sentence to express himself. There was nothing much to express, after all. There was only a feeling; the young boy could only cling, not understanding, to the idea that he had always lived with: Koushi was supposed to stay with him. But then, why had she vanished?

Though Hiro was incapable of grasping what was happening before him, a weak presence caught his attention. _Sis…!_ Instinctually, he turned to his right, detecting Koushi's Soul. It was weak, but it was still there…!

…

No. She wasn't. A scrap of fabric had fluttered past him; part of Koushi's dress. Hiro's mind once again ground to a halt. Why was he sensing his sister from that fragment? Koushi should look like… Well, Koushi. Not a small piece of cloth. But if she wasn't there, then… Where was she?

Hiro watched as the little shred of material floated around him, slowly dissolving into bits of static. Moving on its own, Hiro's arm reached out and caught the tattered remainder of his sister out of the air. He held it close to him. Close to his heart.

Why did she feel so far away?

Turning his fist over, Hiro slowly opened his hand; his fingers uncurled, allowing him a good, long look at what he had grabbed… But there was nothing there. Nothing left of his sister.

A single, bitter tear escaped from Hiro's rusted eye as he began to register the reality of what had happened to Koushi. She was dead. Erased.

… And she wasn't coming back.

**Player Side**

I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Surely, my eyes were playing tricks on me; we were so close to all escaping… We had all survived…!  
… Why, then, had this happened? Why did it have to be this way? Honestly, looking back on Koushi's tragic, unexpected demise… I can't chalk it up to some greater meaning.

Life is… Simply unfair. Don't you think?

Hiro let out a guttural scream; a howl of complete despair for his beloved sister. The Room of Reckoning shook again, but with a much greater force than before; the ground below him cracked and split; whole sections of the walls broke and fell apart under the pressure, the rubble clattering to the ground in an unceremonious pattern.

I couldn't move. Even if I was physically able… I was far too taken aback by what I was seeing to command my body.

"You see, this is why I hate children." Magokoro threw his head back and rolled his eyes as Hiro continued to scream. He seemed like a totally different person. "They never _listen._ They don't consider _consequences._" Flickering out of sight, Magokoro materialized next to Hiro, and delivered a brutal kick to his small frame, launching him over to where he had impaled Koushi.

Motionless, I could only look on, horrified. Was this really the same Magokoro that I knew?

Winded, Hiro sobbed, gasping for air.

"There; she left something behind." Magokoro pointed at the ground near Hiro. "Take that and leave. Consider yourself lucky."

Hiro caught site of what he was indicating: Koushi's silver bangle was lying on the fractured stone surface of the Room. Taking it into his hands, Hiro stared at the bracelet; his tiny fingers tightened around its intricate surface.

"And you, girl… You've performed admirably." My Partner strolled over to me and crouched down, so that we were face-to-face. He smiled.

"What… What's going on…?" An overwhelming fear suffocated me. _He started to speak a little different after he had received his Entry Fee… But this… What is this…?_

"I'll admit, even _I_ couldn't imagine what my Entry Fee would be, before I entered the Game. And without it? Well, interestingly, I felt a lot _lighter,_" He stressed the word, his smile now bittersweet, "I felt like I had regressed to my younger, more optimistic, naïve days… But now that I have my 'pride' back… I know that I'm better off for it." Magokoro's face was inches from my own, but unlike previous instances where I had grown flustered, or simply felt uncomfortable… Here, there was only a poisonous kind of dread.

"Your Entry Fee was your… Pride?" I shivered. They way that he said the word worried me.

"It's an abstract concept, but I think that 'pride' describes it adequately." Magokoro smirked. "The way I conduct myself. The way I see myself and others. My standards, goals, and aspirations… The harsh lessons that I've learnt throughout my life. Can you think of a better term than 'pride'?" Magokoro laughed, standing up before taking a step backwards. He raised his arms. "And you know, that's how the name 'Magokoro Muki' came about. You're at least part-Japanese, aren't you, girl? Tell me, what do you get when you add 'pride' to 'Magokoro Muki'? And that's the ancient Chinese character that I'm talking about." The man chuckled, observing me like a child awaiting his parent's reaction to a job well done.

My mind stalled for a moment before I considered the etymology of his name: 'Magokoro Muki', or, in its kanji form, '無気 真心'. Quite literally, it translated to 'airless sincerity', however it could be interpreted as 'emotionless sincerity', if you pushed it a little. I had always considered it a rather nice name, though I had never commented on it before.

Now, what do you get if you add 'pride', '傲', to '無気 真心'? Not much, as it turns out… But what if I were to rearrange the characters into a different order?

After a few permutations, I found the answer…

'無'  
'心'  
'傲'  
'真'  
'気'

'Goumaki Mushin'.

My Partner was the King of CHECKMATE.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Station Underpass  
31:05 until Time Zero  
31:04…  
31:03…**_

"So, do you… 'See what I'm getting at', Mr. Gentleman? There's nothing that you can say that will cause me to doubt Magokoro. Because we're not merely Partners… We're friends."

A wave of emotion hit Muki; a smile began to form on his lips. _I was right to choose her._ Muki eyed Katy, content. _She's such an… Such an…_

…

_Such an… _Idiot.

* * *

**Player Side**

_**Room of Reckoning  
Time Zero**_

Funny thing about puzzles… Once you know the end result, it becomes so much easier to fit all of the pieces together. All the tiny details finally make sense.

Why did Magokoro assume that the Knight had taken Hiro?  
How did Magokoro know that the Knight was a 'he'?  
How did Magokoro have so much detailed information on CHECKMATE in the first place?  
And so many more…

All the little inconsistencies, every little discrepancy that I had ignored… They all added up to one 'truth'.

'Magokoro Muki' was, in reality, the King himself… Goumaki Mushin.

And I had just assisted him in eliminating the Composer.

"Sir, I would advise that you select a less conspicuous alias next time." The Queen stepped into my field of vision, she now referring to Mago-…

… Now referring to the King with a more respectful tone, though traces of her more casual manner remained.

"Seconded." The Bishop's voice revealed her presence; it appeared as though she had been standing next to the wall for quite some time.

"I thought it was pretty great, personally." The Rook grinned, joining his comrades.

The Knight, too, returned, _Warping_ behind the other members. "Looks like it went off without a hitch… Huh, Boss?"

The King ran a hand through his hair, and acknowledged his compatriots… Every one of them was noticeably more relaxed than they were during the Game; not really something that I wanted to see. "Queen. Your comment on how I 'caused trouble for CHECKMATE', and about how you could 'do without my convoluted plans'… Tell me, was all that part of your act, or is there some truth, there?" The King didn't seem to bear any ill will towards his subordinate; it was more a case of pure curiosity.

The Queen closed her eyes, and took a single breath. "… Those words were for 'Magokoro Muki'. Not 'Goumaki Mushin', Sir." The Queen responded.

"Hn. Very well." Seemingly satisfied, the King turned to me… Me, who had been playing on the wrong side for the entire Reaper's Game. "Feeling unwell, girl?"

I was at a loss. My closest friend had, in the end, been taken away from me…But not quite in the way that I had feared. One could argue that he had never existed to begin with. "Magokoro, why would you-"

"Don't." The King cut me off. "_My_ name is 'Goumaki Mushin'. The man you knew, 'Magokoro Muki'? He died as soon as the Reaper's Game ended; the instant that his Entry Fee was returned to him." Watching the static slowly escape the hole in my abdomen, the King gave me a look… Almost sympathetic. "I _have_ grown fond of you, however. That is the truth. When I first met you, you seemed… Interesting. But out of all of the Knight's candidates, you were the clear choice for my Pawn."

There was that word again. "'Candidate'…?" What did that mean?

"Oh, my apologies, Katy." The Knight avoided my eyes, instead peering off into the distance. "You see, working that job as a bus driver, I was able to meet many potential selections for the Boss; whenever I spotted someone with a particularly strong Soul, I simply… Encouraged them to go to Udagawa, where the Boss would pick them up and take 'em to HQ." The indifference in the Knight's voice disturbed me; was I just one of many potential 'Pawns' who had been killed and forced into the UG by the King?

_Udagawa. Where that girl who 'left her umbrella' supposedly lived._ The way that the Knight enunciated the word 'Encouraged'… It sounded a touch ominous.

"Being slightly pre-occupied with my scouting, I never _was_ informed on which of my picks made the cut…" The Knight mused, tapping his cane on his shoulder. "… Again, I do apologize. I saw an awful lot of faces during that time. Couldn't exactly remember each and every person."

I shuddered. How many other 'picks' had CHECKMATE abducted? I was the 'winner'… So, what had happened to all of the 'losers'?

"After 'meeting' a candidate, it was a simple matter of taking their Soul into the Imaginary Plane, beyond the Reapers' reach," the King resumed his exposition. For what purpose was he telling me this? I got the strangest feeling that the King felt as though he _owed_ me, "once there, the Queen began Imprinting them… That 'seal' that you performed? That was a direct result of the Queen's Programming." The King paused, basking in the afterglow of his victory.

I, meanwhile, was hit with another harsh revelation; in my panicked state of mind, I had thought that Sakuraba's company had turned against us… When in truth, it was more likely that 'Magokoro' had attacked them, first.

What had I done?

"Most of the potential contenders, however, were simply not strong enough to survive the Imprinting process; their Souls self-destructed before the Queen could even half-finish her work… But you," the King looked down on me with an arrogant, proud expression, "you endured the Queen Programming you, Imprinting you… Dissecting you, rearranging the contents of your Soul, and putting you back together again… For almost 1000 years…! Early on, it became very apparent to me that you would be the best choice. And the best choice, you most certainly were, girl. That is why you're my Proxy, my Pawn… You were always Marked for greatness by us, CHECKMATE…!"

At last my arm gave out; unable to prop my upper body up, it buckled, dropping me down to the ground once more; I continued to bleed out a steady stream of static.

The King didn't seem to notice. "And when your Code was at last completed? I brought you back to the RealGround; the very same place at which I had… Well, 'almost' killed you." The King fondly looked back on his first meeting with me… Although, I was significantly less enthusiastic. "This time, I imparted you with a decidedly more fatal wound, and left you for dead… The Conductor, sensing a strong Soul near death, decided that you would make a… 'Good addition' to the Game, if I recall correctly." The King smirked again, the same smug look on his face. "After entering the Game myself… Well, that was when I personally got to know you. And though I was not 'myself' for the duration of the Game, it would seem as though I _have_ formed a small attachment to you. I'll even say that I was somewhat _worried_ when Hanekoma managed to steal you away on Day 3." He let out a small, bittersweet laugh. "Finally, I attacked Sakuraba and his friends; Hanekoma came to their rescue, and of course… I 'lost'. Seeing me in such a state was enough to push you over the edge, and seal our enemies all at once." Letting out a forlorn sigh, the King approached me once more. "I'll make sure that your end is painless, girl. It's the least I can do for you… After all that you've done for me."

* * *

_**The Imaginary Plane – CHECKMATE HQ  
**__**Exact Time Unknown**_

Hmph. The theatrics are unnecessary, Rook." The King chortled. "Well, then… I'll be instructing you on your movements for the next Week…" The King allowed himself a moment to take a breath, and delivered his instructions. "Simply put… I need you to find a pair of Partners, two Players, that the Pawn will be able to develop a sense of loyalty towards."

The Rook narrowed his eyes, intrigued.

"Platonic, romantic, familial, it matters not." The King particularized. "What matters is that the Pawn cares enough about their wellbeing that they will be willing to place themselves in danger to protect them. These two Players must be left _alive,_ and every other Player _removed_ from the Game before the Game reaches its first half.  
The Rook could only stare at the King, half-exasperated, half-amused. _He wasn't kiddin' when he said 'not exactly tasteful'._

"After you have selected your candidates," the King elaborated, "_that_ is when you will Erase any other Players _or_ Reapers that may prove to be unnecessary in the Game; distractions, interferences… You need to Erase them all, and this includes any Harriers who are sent out specifically to investigate our actions… You have my permission."

* * *

**Reaper Side**

_**Room of Reckoning  
Time Zero**_

Katy was not in a good position; she may as well have already been dead, considering that she was neither able to speak nor move… Regardless, the King was about to make it official.

Something shone on Katy's back… The Mark. The Sigil which she had only once caught a glimpse of; normally jet-black, the Reaper Crossbones painted upon her shone with a golden light, still in the process of completing its last function. This Mark was the embodiment of the Queen's Programming, only ever appearing on the Pawn's back; when Katy had removed her pullover, the Mark on it had faded away and transferred over to her tank top… Not that she could tell. And of course, when Hiro had pulled the garment back onto its owner, the Mark had become momentarily obscured, before re-establishing itself on Katy's outer-most layer of clothing… Not that Hiro had noticed.

The Mark burst, splintering into fragments of light, dancing through the Room of Reckoning; the space now appeared as though it had been invaded by a swarm of fireflies. Drifting freely for only a moment, the multitudinous shards all focused on a single point: The throne. Fusing into an orb of burning luminescence, the mass sizzled and spit molten liquid from its surface; the spectacle was comparable to a star being born.

"Here it comes…!" The King observed in awe as the sun before him sparkled and shined, lighting the inside of the otherwise darkened Room.

After a moment, it began to twist around itself, warping and distorting its spherical shape into a more humanoid silhouette… And then the light faded, like a lightbulb's filament cooling down.

Left sitting on the throne was a lone figure, her legs bent inwards in a stance reminiscent of Raimu Bito.  
At a glance, she seemed like an ordinary teenager; a young girl with pale grey-blonde hair, holding a little more colour than Yoshiya Kiryu's.  
Interestingly, she wore two skirts: A short, red-checkered skirt over an ever-so-slightly longer white-hemmed black skirt. As for the rest of her attire, there was a clean white top with short, puffed sleeves, with a slightly oversized plaid-red bow around its collar; the overall colour scheme of her outfit brought Daisukenojo Bito to mind.  
Upon the girl's head rested a pair of white headphones; red accents on the metal, as well as the clear usage of wires on the device, differentiated the accessory from the ones that Neku Sakuraba once wore.

But there _was_ one thing more recognizable on the mystery girl's person: A stuffed animal lay on her lap; Shiki Misaki's very own Mr. Mew.

* * *

**Player Side**

My eyes began to adjust; the area had once again dimmed. Still lying on the ground, I managed to keep a hand on my sizable wound in an attempt to stem the flow of static. It was just one peculiarity after another. From what I could tell, something on my back had shattered into shards of glowing glass; the floating fragments had then fused into a ball of energy, which then transformed into a… Girl. She was someone who I had without doubt never seen before; why, then, did she feel so familiar…?

"Marvellous…!" The King seemed to have forgotten about me; he only had eyes for the amber-eyed youth, unconscious upon the throne of Shibuya. "She would possess some qualities from her original counterparts, of course. But this is, without a doubt, an 'original' Soul that we have just created!"

_What is he saying…?_ I struggled to make sense of it all. _That girl… Is she made up of the six who vanished?_

"That kid is technically the Composer, then?" The Rook turned to ask the Queen, but she was already walking away; her attention elsewhere.

The ground rumbled.

"Feel that…?" The Rook looked to his comrades, worried. It felt as though an earthquake was approaching.

"Shibuya's rejecting the girl." The King answered, calmly walking towards her. "Do you know what would happen to Shibuya without its Composer? The 'end times', as it were; Shibuya and the Composer are very much like a pair of Partners. Without one, the other cannot exist." Standing before the sleeping adolescent, the King flexed his fingers, sending an audible 'crack' through the Room.

"As it stands, that thing is only a 'psuedo-Composer'." The Queen commented as she advanced on Hiro, her blade drawn. She didn't seem to be as merciful as the King.

I struggled to pull myself up.

The ground shook again; slightly stronger, this time.

"Satisfactory as a placeholder, but not nearly sufficient to pass for the real thing. Erasing it would nevertheless allow one to claim the full title, however." Standing over the boy clutching his sister's bangle, the Queen raised her weapon; before bringing it down upon the silent youth, she turned her head to the King. "I would advise that you dispatch it before the situation worsens. A quick, clean kill as you did with the other Player." The Queen turned back to her mark, just in time to see that Hiro had vanished. But then, she froze; no doubt feeling the way that his Psych had just raked her across the eyes.

* * *

**Reaper Side**

"_Aaaaaaauuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh!_" The Queen's calm demeanour shattered into pieces as she clutched at her face; it spurted static from a grisly row of gashes across its width.

Hiro landed behind the woman, and glared at her; tears of fury surging out of his eyes. "Don't you… _Dare_ talk about Koushi…!"

"Queen!" The King resounded; his powerful voice reverberating off of the already vibrating walls.

"Hiro… Just run…!" Katy finally found a scrap of strength; just enough to choke out a few, precious words.

Still holding her hand over her injured eyes, the Queen panted. "You little whelp- _kuh!_" Interrupted by a _Psychokinesis_ blast from the boy, the Queen was flung into the far wall; the stone splintered and exploded, sending out a cloud of dust.

"How's he using Psychs without a Partner?!" Recoiling, the Rook shouted; the trepidation was evident upon his face.

The tremors were worse, now. A fault-line ran from one end of the Room to another, splitting the ground in two.

Katy, Hiro, and the Queen were unfortunate enough to be caught on the lesser portion of the two halves; the fragmented stone structure began to sink downward, taking the three of them with it.

"Ms. Vio…!" Hiro jumped over to Katy, and lifted her onto his shoulder; a fruitless effort. It didn't matter how strong he was; unlike his sister, who he had barely managed to keep off the ground, Katy's body was simply too large in comparison to his own, small frame. The best he could do was drag her.

"Hiro, leave me," Katy gasped, bleeding more static by the second; at this point, her figure was flickering, sputtering in-between translucent and transparent, "I haven't got long, anyway; just go!"

"No, I'm _not_ leaving you!" Hiro stubbornly refused, shaking his head as he attempted to lift me up.

Acting first, the Rook leapt down to the plummeting half of the Room of Reckoning and grabbed the Queen by the shoulders. "Come on, we need to get off this thing!"

With the danger level reaching a fever pitch, the King turned back to the mystery girl and aimed a fatal strike at her neck…

_Clang!_

"What…!?" A spherical barrier shone around the girl, deflecting the King's attack; it faded away as quickly as it had come. "That's not possible…!" The King attempted again, a true sense of urgency on his face; to no avail, every assault ended in failure.

"What are you playing at?" The Bishop growled, holding a hand to her head; a throbbing pain coursed through her temples. "Without the Composer, I can't hold my Revel steady for long; hurry up and Erase her-" Before the Bishop could finish speaking, a blade erupted from her chest; her golden eyes widened in surprise.

Everything seemed to be going downhill.

The Knight tightened his grip on the sword which he had just rammed the Bishop through with, and cackled; his eye glinted a malevolent crimson. "If you can't just drop it, I'll drop it _for_ you…!"

"Knight, control yourself!" The King jumped behind the laughing swordsman, and struck him in the side of the head, knocking him down to the ground.

"Oh, now that one hurt!" The Knight threw his head back and laughed again; faster than anyone could perceive, he had _Warped_ over to the two remaining Players. Strolling over to their sides, the Knight's body shook, convulsing with a mad merriment. "Looks like you've just created something you don't fully comprehend, 'Boss'."

The rock between the fault-line ground against itself, generating a sharp, piercing noise; the earthquake had just hit its worst point.

The Bishop knelt on the ground, watching the Knight with stoic incredulity.

"Well, you know me. I get bored _very_ easily. So, I think that maybe…" Clamping a rough hand over Katy's shoulder, he sniggered again. "… I'll say goodbye to CHECKMATE, for now."

"Knight, stay where you are! That's an _order!_" The King bellowed, leaping towards the three gathered individuals.

"Ooh, scary." Just as he engaged his _Warp,_ Jack the Ripper left his old friends with a few parting words. "Good luck fixing this mess, gang; I'll see you all later."

The Knight teleported out of the Room of Reckoning, taking the two Players with them.

* * *

**Player Side**

**Dogenzaka**

The thunderstorm above Shibuya continued to roar as the Earth shook, sending a terrible set of shockwaves throughout the city. Pedestrians screamed in terror, grabbing for the nearest solid object that they could use to steady themselves with. I could hear the crumbling of multiple buildings in the distance; it sounded like an ungodly thunderstorm… No; much, much worse than that.

It was like nothing that I'd ever heard before.

"And there goes Cat Street! Brilliant!" Jack's usual playful persona had been replaced with the insane, laughing-mad Reaper that I had caught a glimpse of at the Station Underpass.

Nothing made sense.

We had won the Game. But my Entry Fee had turned out to be a few minutes' worth of memories.  
The Game Master was the Knight.  
Magokoro was the King.  
Koushi had died.  
Sakuraba, Misaki, Beat, Rhyme… As well as the Composer and the other man… I had sealed them all into some sort of new entity.

Shibuya was falling apart.

And now, as it turned out… Jack the Ripper had decided to leave CHECKMATE?

I had long since fell behind the unbelievable succession of events. I had no idea where any of us stood; whether we had 'won' or 'lost', what we were to do from here, who was an 'ally', who was an 'enemy'…

"_Psychokin- _rgh!" Hiro's cry was interrupted by Jack unsympathetically forcing a hand over his mouth, and pinning him to the ground; his blade at the boy's throat.

"Hiro…!" I writhed on the street, frustratingly incapable of any physical task. The sound of my body breaking apart was quite audible; I felt as if I were inside a store full of broken televisions. White noise assailed my ears, generated by each and every vibrating atom in my form.

"Hush! You'll bring the whole place down, brat." The man chortled once more before taking a step back, avoiding a swift kick from the infuriated youngster.

"Get away from Ms. Vio!" Hiro yelled, ready to unleash another Psych.

"Pffft," Jack was characteristically unworried, "I just saved the two of you, kid. Maybe let that sink in before you do anything rash, hmm?"

The quake was lessening, now. A few items of produce fell from the nearby shelves of various shops.

"Nngh…!" Hiro stopped, seeing some truth in the man's words. But still, this man had put the Players through 7 Days of hell; if that wasn't enough, he had kidnapped Hiro's sister at one point. Not the easiest act to forgive… _Or_ to forget. "Koushi… Koushi's _dead_ because of you!" Hiro seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as anyone else, but, then again… I can't even begin to imagine what the mental state of the boy must have been like.

"That's subjective." Jack placed a hand over his face and took a few deep breaths, before once again revealing his face; the calming blue of his eye shone in the afternoon sunlight. "If I had not taken your sister, would the two of you still have walked into the Room of Reckoning? Actually, I suppose not. That was the point of taking her, after all… And, the Boss would've been waiting there, regardless." Jack mused, walking back over to me in an absentminded fashion; his personality had again taken another 180.

"H-Hey, I said 'get away'…!" Hiro reared back again.

"I'm fixing your lady friend, shush." Jack grinned, taking a _Cure Drink_ Pin out from one of his coat's sizable pockets.

A welcome sensation washed over me; a familiar healing light ran through me, pulling my body back into a better state. I remained silent, however; unsure of how to respond to Jack's assistance.

"Why are you…?" Hiro froze again, unable to decide whether or not to follow through with his attack.

"Oh, now that's fascinating." Jack helped me off of the ground, staring curiously at his Pin the entire time. "The Psych took. It would appear that the 'rules of the world' have _changed_ with the Composer's demise… Though it's very likely that Pacts are still needed for survival, even if Psychs are now restriction-free-"

"The… The Composer isn't dead!" I protested; an involuntary response, fuelled by the desire that it weren't so.

"Well, yes, I suppose not. Technically speaking." Jack ruffled his hair, and dropped the Pin back into his pocket. "But to Shibuya? For all intents and purposes, the Composer _is_ dead, without a doubt." Showing his usual lackadaisical attitude, Jack adjusted his jacket to sit straight on his shoulders. "Hm… The quake's stopped," he observed, "perhaps there's some part of that girl that was able to stabilize Shibuya… Either that, or the King managed to Erase her, and is now the Composer himself."

I shivered at the thought, but I had other questions on my mind. "Why did you help us? Aren't we your enemies?"

"My enemy was the Composer. That is the only 'absolute' that you would find relevant, 'Katy'." The man enunciated my 'name', having long since dropped the usage of nicknames. "As for what I'll do next…" Jack stopped himself, and let out a short, sad 'heh'.

A clinking sound on the pavement caught my attention; I turned, but before I could locate the source of the sound, I caught sight of something else.

Hiro was running away, his head lowered; one arm over his eyes.

"No, wait-" I moved to pursue him, but my legs failed me; yet again, I found myself falling to the ground…

"Whoa there." Jack grinned, catching me by the arm. "Don't hurt yourself; I only just finished patching you up."

"Hiro! Come back!" I pulled against Jack, wanting to free myself; unfortunately, his grip was quite firm.

Hiro turned the corner, heading in the direction of the 104 Building.

"Don't bother," Jack advised me, disinterested," he's too far away to catch up to, especially in your condition.

"Why don't you stop him? You can _Warp!_" I struggled again, with no result.

"I took the two of you with me because I could. On a whim, as it were," Jack smiled, finally releasing me; I stumbled a few steps. He closed his eyes and sighed "it's not my concern what the two of you do with yourselves, now." When he opened his eyes again, I was already hurrying after my friend.

I was grateful that Jack had saved me, of course. But I couldn't leave Hiro; I chased after the boy, going as fast as my broken body could carry me.

"You won't be able to find him!" I heard Jack call out from behind me.

Refusing to lose anyone else, I kept running.

* * *

I never saw Hiro again.

Arriving at the Scramble Crossing, I was faced with a number of paths to choose from; I was certain that the boy had run back to the Shibuya River. I passed the Statue of Hachiko, the station at which I had first arrived in Shibuya by… However, I was met by an impassable Wall when I had approached the entrance to the River; unable to break through it, I was forced to look elsewhere.

In hindsight, I'm glad that someone had placed that Wall there; without that, I likely would have perished, walking back into the lion's den like that…

The new moon slowly rose over Shibuya, watching as I searched and searched; some places old, some places new.

The Shibu Department Store. Cadoi City. Nothing.

Rain began to fall over the velvet night sky as I took a new road; I passed Towa Records, the Miyashita Park Underpass… But at Miyashita Park itself, I was met with a horrible sight: Multiple buildings had fallen in the earthquake; the ground had been fractured like a broken mirror… It looked like something out of a dystopian, apocalyptic film-set; the only sounds to be heard were the laments of the injured, and the wailing of the ambulances' sirens. With no way to enter Cat Street, I backtracked.

Molco. Spain Hill. Tipsy Tose Hall. Nowhere to be seen.

Finding myself at another crossroad, I sprinted down a familiar path; past the Shibu-Q Heads, and down into the Udagawa Back Streets. Taking a moment, I walked up to the artistic graffiti decorating the far wall, and placed my hand on it.

_This was where Sakuraba died. And as for me…_ Walking to the right, I shuffled through a narrow passage between buildings; barely wide enough to accommodate two people. I turned the corner, half-expecting to find my corpse… But of course, there was nothing there. Not even a bloodstain; any evidence of our deaths had long since been cleaned up, naturally.

…

There weren't many places left; next, I returned to the Scramble Crossing, checking AMX and the Center Street Entrance as I went.

No luck there, either.

Growing desperate, I circled back to my starting point, this time travelling from the 104 Building to the Shibukyu Department Store, and from there to A-East; another familiar location.

Finally, I thought to check Pork City; impatiently waiting for the elevator to take me to each level, I made sure to scour the entire structure, but…

… Well, I've already told you the end outcome, haven't I?

That wasn't enough to deter me, however. I did another lap of the city.  
And then another.  
And another after that.

I even tried to leave Shibuya at one point, but another Wall stopped me. That was at least somewhat comforting; Hiro was definitely somewhere in Shibuya. But the sad truth about the city is that… It's big. Far too big for me, a single needle in a haystack, to even hope to find another smaller, faster needle.

After hours and hours of optimism, (or 'obstinacy', if you'd prefer,) even I, with all of my tenacity, accepted that I would not be locating Hiro Tetsuyou any time soon. I trudged back to Dogenzaka, dead inside; a lump of lead sat in my chest… Once, I would have called it my 'heart', but now I couldn't even remember what it was used for. Water soaked me to my core, making each step even heavier than usual; the downpour had transformed the sloped district into a miniature river of its own

A middle-aged couple walked past me, protected from the elements by a large, clear umbrella; they seemed to be talking about the disaster in Cat Street, but I couldn't quite hear them over the endless pelting of raindrops against the ground. The couple were accompanied by two children, a boy and a girl; they marvelled at the watery spectacle around them, playing together in matching raincoats, smiling as siblings do.

I looked away.

Walking up the street, I approached the entrance to Ramen Don, wanting to feel some form of comfort and warmth… I stopped. I didn't want to go in there looking like I did.

Ken Doi stood at his workstation, no doubt working hard at his next recipe; his face alight with the joy of an artist at his craft. If I walked in there right now, how worried would he be? I didn't want to do that to him. I couldn't. I simply collapsed against the wall of the building; sinking into the muddy, watery ground.

I just… Sat there. My head hung to the side, my neck too tired to even hold it straight. My eyelids fluttered half-closed.

A rat skittered over my hand.

This was the end result of my participation in the Reaper's Game. Was it my fault that things had turned out the way they had?

Well… No. I mean, not entirely.

Of course, some blame lay in me. In my poor choices. In my naïve nature. The rest of it could be attributed to various other parties, their evil intentions, and even just… 'Bad fortune'.

The thing is, in a case such as this… Well, if you have _ever_ played a key part in a horrendous outcome such as this one, you'll know what I mean. You know what it feels like. To you, there is no 'shared blame', no 'probably', no 'maybe', and no 'what if'.

You alone feel responsible. Even if you know the truth in your logical brain, you still feel like utter garbage. Everyone is so sad, after all. 'How could it _not_ be your fault?'.

That's the human mind for you. Or maybe that's just me… Who knows? The closest thing to a psychologist that I had was Magokoro Muki.

And he didn't even really exist to begin with.  
Not in the way that I thought he did, at least.

Not the way that I thought.

"Young lady… Are you quite alright?" It took a few seconds to register that he was talking to me. If I didn't know him personally, I may not have heard him at all.

I tilted my head upwards by the slightest amount. Ken Doi was standing in front of me; with only his bandanna protecting him from the storm, his glasses had quickly fogged up.

It appeared that the Reaper Decal's reach was a bit further than I had initially thought.

When I didn't respond, the man leant down and hoisted my arm over his shoulder, bringing me close to him. Warmth.

"I'm… Covered in mud, Mr. Doi." My throat felt surprisingly dry, considering the surroundings.

"Well, now I am, too, aren't I?" He stated in a matter-of-fact voice; his signature loud, energetic manner nowhere to be seen. "Before anything else, let's getcha inside, huh?" Helping my fatigued legs carry my equally-fatigued body into Ramen Don, Ken Doi left his sandals by the entryway and Ken Doi opened the door to the storeroom; the man led me inside. "Watch your step; it's dark in here." Turning right, the man opened another door; inside was a rather spacious washroom; a sliding door of fogged glass obscured what I could only assume was a shower room. "Here; leave your clothes on the bench, and I'll throw 'em in the machine while you clean yourself up." His voice was calm. Caring.

Subconsciously, I found myself marvelling at how people could act so different, _become_ so different, in certain circumstances… It was something that I had seen many examples of, during in the Game.

"Hey now, miss." Seeing that I was still unresponsive, the man gave me a small shake. "Don't make me bathe you myself." He grinned, attempting to incite a reaction out of me.

Nothing.

His smile faded, turning into a slight frown. "Come on, if you don't laugh, I just end up lookin' like a creep."

Still nothing.

Ken Doi sighed. "Okay, I get it. Everybody hits rough patches in life." Leading me over to a wooden bench, the man carefully sat me down. "I'll wait outside as long as ya need. When I hear the shower start, I'll come back in and grab your laundry. That okay, young miss?"

Take a guess at how I responded.

Ken Doi simply smiled, his positive attitude unaffected. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him with a resounding 'clack'.

* * *

I must have stayed in that room for a long, long time. I may have even fallen asleep, really. When I finally stepped out, my clothes were neatly laid out for me; completely dry. Ken Doi had even gone to the trouble of polishing the soft surface of my boots clean.

Taking care not to waste his kind effort, I walked out into the storeroom; cautiously avoiding scuffing my clothes on any of the obstacles in my path.

He greeted me with a smile.

Laying down a bowl of Mystic Ramen for me, Ken Doi pushed me into a seat and took the adjacent stool. He laid a cuff of metal upon the tabletop.

It was Koushi's.

"An odd young man dropped by… He told me to give it to you."

The clinking noise that I had heard when Hiro had run away… He must have dropped it. Had Jack recovered it?

I made no move to accept it.

"… Young lady." Ken Doi sighed, a knowing, wise look on his face. "I can't quite imagine what you went through to end up like that… But I know a thing or two about life." Resting his arms on the counter, the man looked up. "Listen. Life is full of bad times. In fact, it's… Kinda brimmin' with 'em." He chuckled. "Sometimes you can feel like the whole world is pressing down on you, leaving you unable to breathe. Leaving you feeling like you'll never do anything right again. But everyone makes mistakes, miss. Even so…" He placed a kind hand on my head, and ruffled my slightly damp hair. "… If you feel in your heart that there's at least one more good day… Just _one_ more good day to be had in your future, you gotta have the resolve to keep going; keep pushin' forward; keep growing. Don't stand still. Clash; change. Jus' so long as you remember," he paused, trying to put something that he clearly knew into word, "all the mistakes that you've made; all the people that got you this far. All the different kinds of 'Katy' that you used to be." His first usage of my name resonated with something inside of me, touching something in me heart. "Because you're not the same. I can see that you've grown quite a bit since I met you few days ago, and trust me, miss… It's a change for the better." Turning to face me, Ken Doi asked me a question. "And speaking of the future, do you remember what I said to you before? When you, uh… Didn't quite get my recipe right?" He grinned, cheekily

"… 'The future's a clean slate… And I'm the chalk'?" I used my voice for what felt like the first time in an eternity.

Ken Doi smiled. "There ya go. You got it right, miss. And that's all you need." Ken Doi stood up and started to walk outside; the bright morning rays shining in through the entrance. "And don't ever think that you're a 'burden' here, young miss. You're always welcome. I might just be a silly old ramen chef, but… I'm here if ya need me." Pulling his sandals on, Ken Doi's tone slid back to its usual, boisterous rhythm. "Now eat up before it gets cold!"

"Ah… Of course. Thank you." I took a bite. When _was_ the last time I had eaten…? _Oh… This is…_ It tasted exactly like the batch that I had made. The same slightly-too-sweet soup that I had produced on my first attempt… But it tasted better than I remembered. I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Now, see that?" Ken Doi beamed. "The smile on a satisfied customer… That's what I live for, you know." A cheery expression on his face, he looked both ways before departing, as if he was crossing the street. "There's a sale on some ingredients, today. You'd better be done when I get back!" Ken Doi stepped outside and walked away, leaving me with my chalk. I gazed at the sun, greeting me from behind the horizon; its brilliance illuminated the dark corners of my soul, giving me new hope.

My fingertips slid against the polished surface of the countertop as I picked up Koushi Tetsuyou's bangle. With a bit of effort, I slid it over my left wrist; I'd hold onto it for now.

Many terrible tragedies that had taken place. But even so, even with all of the hurt, all of the bad choices, the betrayal, and all of the scars that had been inflicted upon Shibuya… At the very least, we would all keep moving forward.

The sun would still rise for a bright new day.

* * *

_**7th Day – CHECKMATE**_

* * *

**Wow. You know, this took a long, long time. Longer than I estimated by far.**

**But once I was in the last 500 words or so, I thought, "huh. It's almost over…" and a little part of me wished that it wasn't ;)**

**Naturally, it's not the greatest piece of fiction that you'll read, but I feel very happy that I could bring this to a conclusion that I wanted… And I hope that it was a 'conclusion' that you didn't mind, either.**

**Now, since you've been so kind as to read this 'chapter', I'd recommend that you check out the **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_** and **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Communities; both full of wonderful, talented people who I'm rather privileged to know :P**

**Have an excellent day,  
-X**

**P.S. I'll be doing a short epilogue; I might put a trivia section in there or something… If anyone has any questions or requests like that, let me know :P  
If you're just tired of how much I'm writing, I apologize; please, go and do something you enjoy; play outside, and appreciate this 'wonderful world' of ours.**


End file.
